Heat attack: Poor arrangements at SGTB Khalsa College for sports quota trials

Students faced a hard time at sports quota trials for Delhi University’s SGTB Khalsa College. The trials, held at Delhi police’s polo ground in GTB Nagar, started two hours after its scheduled time. 

The venue had only one makeshift shed capable of accommodating just 50 people, while hundreds of applicants turned up for the trials. The students and their parents found their own way to beat the heat. Interestingly, some even found shelter in the washroom of the stadium building.  ‘At least there’s an AC in here. I came here at 7.30 am and the trials started two hours late. There is no arrangement for the applicants. I didn’t know that I was going to have such a miserable time here’, said an aspirant who came for his tennis trials. 

The college had received about 1,450 applications for sports quota, nearly 200 more than last year. There were heated arguments between the authorities and the parents at the venue. One of the guardians had an intense argument with an organiser after he complained that some people are trying to jump queue to get their fitness certificates.

Surprisingly, the organisers defended themselves by saying that sportspersons can perform in any type of conditions. ‘Sportsmen are supposed to play in all kinds of conditions. This is the first sports trial for this season and hence the rush. Parents came before their reporting time. What can we do,’ asked Arvind Kapoor, a sports expert appointed by the university to conduct fitness tests. 

Students and their parents also complained that they were not informed whether they were supposed to bring their documents along. ‘I have come all the way from Ghaziabad. I didn’t bring my documents along. But now I have asked my parents to get all my certificates,’ said Shikha Sharma (name changed), who came for her trials. 

The water containers had finished within two hours after the trials began. The applicants had to either rely on juice and lemonade sold outside or had to fetch water bottles from the nearby market, which is a ten-minute walk away from the ground. 

The pre-admission forms for entry through sports quota was sold for Rs 300 at Sri Guru Tegh Bahadar Khalsa College, which is nearly 6-30 times more than other Delhi University colleges.

Justifying the decision for charging more from applicants, principal of Khalsa College, Jaswinder Singh, had said his college is likely to incur a cost of Rs 4-5 lakh in conducting sports trials.