Gumla: Congress MLA from Simdega, Bhushan Bara, has adopted Karangagudi, a remote village which is extremely backward but a rich hub of sporting talent and has produced as many as seven international hockey players.
Addressing a function at Karangagudi to felicitate three women international hockey players on Saturday, Bara announced his decision to adopt the village, located in Kersai block, about 32 km away from the Simdega district headquarters, and promised to take up all-round development work.
The three players — Sangeeta Kumari, Beauty Dungdung and Sushma Kumari — were part of Team India which played a six-match series at Santiago in Chile recently. They had scored 10 goals of the team's 18.
Speaking on the occasion, the MLA said, "Karangagudi has produced several hockey stars but it is devoid of basic facilities. Children still play the game on uneven ground, barefoot and with bamboo sticks. There is no facility for sports at all in this village. Even basic amenities like drinking water, electricity and roads are not there.”
He further said, "I will put in efforts to provide these facilities to the village. The previous BJP government did nothing for the players and their villages. Hence, I have decided to adopt this village. A request will be made to chief minister Hemant Soren to lay an astroturf here. Other resources will also be provided for the promotion of the sport.”
Bara also said district officials will start assessing the requirements of the village to prepare plans accordingly. “All government schemes will be implemented here and projects under my own MLA fund will also be taken up to develop this village,” the MLA promised.
Hockey Simdega president Manoj Konbegi said the village is emerging as a cradle of hockey players but lacks infrastructure.