A Saras Mela food stall on the skating rink at Morabadi. Picture by Hardeep Singh

Ranchi, Jan. 30: If you love to freak out on a skating rink, then forget about it.

For, the only skating rink at Morabadi is in a dismal state, and the government’s apathy can be well assessed after it let food stalls for the ongoing Saras Mela be put up on the rink.

The skating rink, a circular structure with a polished cemented floor, was built in the city by the Ranchi Regional Development Corporation a couple of decades ago.

The city, once a summer capital, was a perfect hill station and the skating rink was made as a must-have on the lines of the other popular hill stations.

The rink built under the cover of a cluster of trees beside the Birsa Stadium had been lying defunct for some time, but local skating associations and people, who wanted to skate, had cleaned up the place to use it on holidays.

However, the rural development department put up its much-hyped Saras Mela and converted the rink into an eatery for the fair visitors.

The rink proved to be a good joint for satiating hunger but no efforts have been made to clean the place as yet. The surface of the rink has also been broken at some places to fix the bamboo poles for about 30 stalls.

Mahesh Verma, a local resident, said the rink was a popular hub for the youths. The rink also has two rooms to use as changing rooms and there are wooden lockers for the visitors , he added.

Jharkhand Roller Skating Club’s secretary Amitesh Anand said it is a pity that the government and the administration have become mute spectators to the damage.

“While other cities do not have a rink, our administration finds it difficult to give minimum effort to maintain what we have. With a little support from the government, the rink could have been used for sporting activities,” Anand said.

“We skate in the cemented parking lot for the VIPs at Morabadi due to lack of space. But the surface is not smooth and it is not conducive for good skating. A railing was also put up around the rink for newcomers,” he said.

Rural development department deputy secretary Bina Mishra said the rink was used by the department for the mela on a temporary basis. “The stalls have been put up for a short while and as soon as the mela is over, the stalls will be removed,” Mishra said.