Haryana says 'Chak De' to hockey

CHANDIGARH, October 2: It's the Chak De effect. The Haryana government has planned to set up hockey stadiums in 50 villages to give a boost to the national game. Each stadium will cost the government Rs 50 lakh. "Panchayats will bear 5% of the cost and 95% will be contributed by the Centre. In the coming three years, each block will have a hockey stadium," sports minister Kiran Chaudhary said.
Gurgaon, Sonepat, Shahbad, Faridabad, Rewari and Rohtak are the districts identified for setting up these stadiums, sources said.
In Gurgaon's Nehru Stadium, 50 state-level hockey players are already undergoing training. The stadium is being prepared to host Premier Hockey League (PHL) matches in the future.
Another stadium is coming up at Lakhan Majra in Faridabad. Players will also be trained at village-level stadiums in Rewari, Shahbad and Mewat.
To promote hockey, Sports Authority of India has floated a scheme wherein SAI will build infrastructure on land provided in villages. Already, 12 village panchayats in Haryana have carved out pieces of land and given their approvals to SAI. Former India player and coach, MK Kaushik, is the man in charge of this scheme.