Jamshedpur, July 3: Astro turfs are coming to three towns but the steel city has been left out of the race.

The state welfare department has decided to lay astro turfs in the three tribal-dominated districts of Gumla, Khunti and Simdega after six years of thought. The proposal was first made when the NDA government headed by Babulal Marandi was in power. At that time, the state hockey body had requested for astro turfs in Jamshedpur, Ranchi, Khunti, Simdega and Gumla.

Ranchi’s hockey stadium in Morabadi got an astro turf in January this year, as part of the preparations for the 34th National Games due in November. Work has already begun in Khunti and Gumla. The astro turf for Simdega has arrived and work here is expected to start soon as well.

Why the state decided against an astro turf for Jamshedpur is not known. But officials of the Jharkhand Hockey Association (JHA) believe there must be a specific reason. “Look, Tata Steel has plans to set up a hockey academy in the city and they will lay out an astro turf. The government must have decided against Jamshedpur because of this,” a member of the JHA said, on condition of anonymity.

The hockey association had cited a spot somewhere near Chakradharpur for the facility in the city.

An official of the Tata Steel sports department told The Telegraph that the state should have passed the plan to lay an astro turf in Jamshedpur. “Tata Steel plays an important role in nurturing talent here. And an astro turf would have helped the players,” he said, adding that their plans to establish a hockey academy is still on the cards but got delayed due to land issues.

The state hockey association had proposed the names of five districts for the astro turf after a lot of groundwork. “Here boys with potential can be found in good numbers. Laying an astro turf will boost the aspirants, who have to practise on poor playing arenas,” a JHA official said.

JHA secretary Peer Mohammad confirmed that the turf had arrived in Gumla and Khunti and ground-levelling work had begun. “A similar exercise will shortly begin in Simdega. All these districts are cradles of hockey in Jharkhand,” he added.

Mohammad, also a former national referee, was upbeat about the move. He said most hockey aspirants were from the tribal region and they would be looking forward to playing on smooth surfaces. But hockey players in Jamshedpur are not happy.

Sudhir Bhengra, a junior international player from Jamshedpur, said: “If the state has gone ahead to help three districts develop hockey arenas with astro turfs, it should have also looked after Jamshedpur’s interest. Players from across the country come here for practice sessions,” he said.

At present, hockey players of the city practise at the Armoury Grounds, which was recently turned into a hockey-specific arena. Competitions such as the local hockey league is held regularly, organised by the Jamshedpur Sporting Association.