Ernest Lakra shows the cheque in Jamshedpur on Saturday. (Bhola Prasad)

The senior-most boxing mentor of Jharkhand, Ernest Lakra, has been running from pillar to post for the past three years to encash the “promise” the government had made in appreciation of his service to the state outfit.

Former state sports minister Sudesh Mahto had given a cheque of Rs 5 lakh to Lakra in December 2011 for training the state outfit that won 11 medals, including seven golds, during the 34th National Games in Jharkhand.

After three years’ wait and repeated attempts, Lakra seems to be losing hope of getting the award he richly deserves.

What is more annoying, he added, is the disrespect that the sports department has shown to this 65-year-old coach.

In 2011, Lakra, a Birsanagar resident, could not go to Ranchi personally, instead sent his wife Nirmala to receive the cheque.

“I was admitted to hospital after a fall. So, I had sent my wife to receive the cheque. But, officials of the sports department refused to hand over the cheque to her. Thus, I was forced to go to Ranchi to collect the cheque after being discharged from the hospital,” he recalled.

However, the ordeal did not end there, he added.

“I had deposited the cheque to Baridih branch of State Bank of India. But officials there told me that the cheque could not be cleared as there was not enough balance in the state government’s account. I went to the bank twice to enquire and got the same reply,” he told The Telegraph.

Frustrated, Lakra approached the sports department mandarins twice in the past three years but to no avail. “I have left things to my fate now. But the government should not treat mentors in this manner. After all, I have worked hard for the boxing team,” he lamented.

A chief coach at Birsa Munda Boxing Centre run by former Asian gold medallist Aruna Mishra in Birsanagar, Lakra also met current sports minister Geetashree Oraon with a plea to help him get the money. “I met the minister in July this year but nothing has happened yet. My patience is running out,” he said.

Sports director Dadan Choubey said the payment of some of the coaches was stopped following objections raised by the department. “Some of the mentors did not fulfil the criteria laid down by the government for the award (cheque). An inquiry was also ordered and completed but things did not make any headway afterwards,” he said, adding some of the coaches had received the payment before the objections were raised.

Asked if Lakra’s payment would be cleared, the sports director said an initiative had to be taken by the department.