Samba, May 22: Amid a severe heatwave sweeping across the country, districts in the Jammu division are struggling with soaring temperatures. In response, the Education Department in Jammu has reduced school hours for all children up to higher education levels, closing schools at 12 noon to protect students from the extreme heat.
Contrarily, the Department of Youth, Services, and Sports continues to organize sports competitions for young children, even in temperatures ranging from 42 to 44 degrees Celsius. This has sparked concern among parents and local leaders, given the ongoing heatwave.
Rani Suchet Singh Stadium in Samba, located on the banks of the Basantar River, serves as a venue for these competitions. The stadium, with its pavilion made of iron sheets, lacks adequate seating arrangements, exacerbating the risk of heat-related illnesses among the participating children.
Parents have voiced their distress over the Sports Department’s decision to hold outdoor events in such harsh conditions. Despite multiple appeals to higher officials, no changes have been made to the schedule.
This week, the stadium hosted competitions in Kabaddi, Kho-Kho, Wrestling, Volleyball, Badminton, and Table Tennis for children aged 14 to 17. Over 600 children from across the district participated, with 390 boys competing on Tuesday and around 316 girls on Wednesday. Some games were moved to an indoor stadium nearby, but many were still held in the open field under the blazing sun.
“The administration should take strict cognizance and protect children from this heat wave,” urged Mandeep Sambyal, former president of the Samba Bar Association.
Rahul Sambyal echoed this sentiment, suggesting that the sports competitions could be postponed. “If the national level competition is to be organized by the School Federation of India in the months of October and November, they have plenty of time for this. If the Education Department can think about the children in this heat, then the Sports Department should also take cognizance of this,” he said.
However, Dharamveer Singh, District Officer Youth, Service, and Sports, defended the decision to proceed with the competitions. “The national level competition is initiated by the School Federation of India. We need to select the team according to a pre-set calendar from the Director’s office. This process starts at the local level, progresses to the zone and district levels, and culminates at the divisional level before sending children to the national level,” he explained.
The contrasting approaches between the Education Department and the Sports Department have highlighted the urgent need for a unified strategy to safeguard children’s health during extreme weather conditions. The community continues to call for immediate action to prevent any potential heat-related health issues among the young athletes.
