Youngsters play football at Dakbungalow roundabout in Patna on Sunday in protest against the state government’s approach to sports. Picture by Jai Prakash

More than a hundred sportspersons, including girls, displayed their dribbling skills on a city street on Sunday to draw the state government’s attention towards the shrinking space for sports.

The youngsters assembled at the busy Dakbungalow roundabout around 10.15am under the banner of Bihar Players’ Association (BPA) and played soccer for half-an-hour. Sunday being a holiday, their demonstration did not hit the traffic much. But their unique way of protest drew attention of several passers-by.

Besides the hundred players and several sports enthusiasts, Arjuna awardee and former captain of Indian soccer team (1971) C. Prasad turned up at the roundabout to voice his protest. He said: “There is no open ground in Patna where players can play. The state performs poorly in sports events because no government ever tried to upgrade the sports infrastructure in the state.”

According to Prasad, Gandhi Maidan was one of the most sought-after grounds of sports enthusiasts. But it has been barricaded for the beautification work. The ground at Gardanibagh is in a poor shape. It remains waterlogged most of the time. The veterinary college ground is more or less used for learning driving, while the open space at Patliputra is booked for commercial purposes like handicraft fairs round the year, said Prasad.

Kumari Ankita, a Class XI student of Government Girls’ High School at Shastri Nagar, said: “I love playing soccer but I cannot practise regularly because of the lack of open space. ”

For shopkeepers and commuters passing by the roundabout, the protest was a puzzle. Mohan Sharma, who was passing by the Dakbungalow roundabout when the youngsters were playing soccer, said: “Initially, I was unable to make out what was going on. But as the game progressed, I understood that it was a protest for a noble cause.”

The BPA president, Mritunjay Tiwari, said: “Till few years back, the state capital had several open spaces. But in the past three to four years, all the open spaces have been developed as parks where only morning-walkers can go. As a result, youngsters have no space to play now.”

Tiwari said his organisation had been staging demonstrations demanding better sports infrastructure over the past few years but they were yet to yield any result.

The state government, however, believes, it is doing enough to promote sports. Blaming the previous regime for poor sports infrastructure in the state, art, culture and youth affairs minister Sukhda Pandey said the present government was trying to give a push to games. She said: “In the past five years, the state government has taken various steps for promoting sports. We have hosted kabaddi world cup and national wrestling tournament.”

She, however, refused to speak on the dearth of playing arenas in the state.