Rajya Sabha member Harsh Vardhan Shringla has pitched for focused promotion of sports infrastructure in the Darjeeling hills and north Bengal in Parliament.
The diplomat-turned-MP said the region had a “remarkable football tradition that spans over a century” but was now constrained by inadequate facilities pushing local sporting talent to the margins.
Raising the issue during a discussion in Rajya Sabha recently, Shringla said: “I rise to request focused promotion of sports in Darjeeling hills and the north Bengal region. This area has a remarkable football tradition that spans over a century.”
Stressing the region’s sporting talents and potential, Shringla said: “In this
context, Darjeeling hill deserves a dedicated football academy, high quality turf ground and regional plan covering football hockey indoor and adventure sports.”
The MP formally sought “three integrated sports centres in Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong and one training centre in Mirik”, saying such facilities were essential to revive sports in the hills.
Highlighting Darjeeling’s early role in Indian football, he said: “Darjeeling was among the earliest centres where the sport took deep roots and the school and local institution produced players who later joined leading Calcutta clubs.”
Shringla pointed out that footballers from the hills made their mark nationally, noting that “footballers from the hills have represented Bengal in the Santosh trophy, served in forces teams that achieved national honours”.
Darjeeling has celebrated Olympians such as Bharat Chhetri, who was in India’s hockey team in the 2012 London Olympics, Chandan Singh Rawat, who played football for Team India in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, and C.S. Gurung whose team won the hockey gold in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics.
Ski champ Kishore Ratna Mani Rai from Darjeeling was India’s flag bearer at the Calgary Winter Olympic held in Canada in 1988.
However, Shringla said the absence of modern infrastructure has stalled the region’s sporting growth.
“The region today suffers from inadequate sports infrastructure. The absence of quality stadiums and training facilities have pushed these legacies to the margins. Local youths from the place are unable to get themselves in state, regional and national games,” Shringla told Rajya Sabha.
Beyond football, Shringla underlined north Bengal’s natural advantage for adventure and outdoor sports.
“North Bengal has immense potential in adventure and outdoor sports. Its terrain is ideal for trekking, rock climbing, paragliding, mountain biking and river activities,” he said, adding that Darjeeling already has a rich heritage of mountain training through institutions like the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute.
Calling for a coordinated push, he stressed the need for “upgraded infrastructure, new adventure circuits, certified safety systems and coordinated promotion to track both domestic and international participants”, while pointing out that the Centre has prioritised sports through Khelo India campaigns.