Excelsior Sports Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Mar 8: For the first time in the history of the state, Jammu & Kashmir Sports Council laid a special sports court for specially-abled persons at Voluntary Medicare Society’s (VMS) Bemina campus here.
Established primarily to meet the needs of the Wheelchair bound Basketball players with state of art hydraulic operated Goalposts, the sports court is also convertible in to a volleyball/tennis court and even used as a hockey field or cricket field for the blind.
The special sports court was conceived and approved with an estimated cost of 3.50 million by former Chief Minister, Late Mufti Mohammad Sayed during his last visit to Indoor Sports Stadium, where he had met with a group of wheelchair Basket Ball team players of VMS in 2015.
Dr Syed Abid Rashid, District Development Commissioner (DDC), Srinagar while inaugurating the sports court lamented that, the society as a whole was not sensitive towards the wishes and aspirations of the specially abled persons. “We shall have to change our attitude towards the specially abled persons from that of sympathy & pity to empathy and create enabling and empowering circumstances for them,” urged Dr Syed Abid.
Dr Mir Mohammad Maqbool, founder President of VMS, pointed out the deficiencies in the Special Sports Court including need for urgently providing and laying of special floor tiles, a small Pavilion, Flood Lights for the court and plantation of Avenue trees on the eastern side of the sports court. He committed to meet all the demands in due course of time.
During his interaction with the VMS Wheelchair Basketball team, Dr Abid promised personal intervention to individuals for mitigating their sufferings.
He was also informed that a total of 14 players were so far selected for playing nationals out of whom an expert team from Wheelchair Basketball Federation of India is shortly reaching Srinagar to select players for different national and international events.
Earlier the DDC took a round of Shafaqat Spinal Injuries Rehab Centre, Prosthesis and Orthotics Centre set up with the assistance of ICRC, Modern Gym, Rehab Centre for Pellet Victims and Special and Inclusive school for the special children.
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