Jayanta Talukdar. Picture by Eastern Projections

Guwahati, March 7: Oil India Limited (OIL) has promised to extend facilities to ace archer Jayanta Talukdar to help improve his game if he accepts the appointment letter offered to him by the petroleum giant on January 30.

Reacting to the reported refusal of the world number four archer to join the petroleum company keeping in view his prospects in the Beijing Olympics, OIL official Tridip Duvarah today said there was every scope for negotiation.

The oil major has offered him a contractual appointment with a consolidated monthly remuneration of Rs 12,000, along with travel allowances for 12 major tournaments within India and all other facilities provided to sportspersons in the company.

Though there is no provision for recruitment of archers in OIL as the sport is not included in the Petroleum Sports Promotion Board’s list of disciplines, the company created an avenue for Talukdar as a special case at the behest of the All Assam Students’ Union. The union took up his case to ensure that he could represent Assam in the 33rd National Games.

Though the archer could not be contacted for comment, family sources said he would have to leave the Tata Archery Academy if he joined OIL. He would then be deprived of facilities there, which would eventually affect his preparation and prospects in the Olympics.

Duvarah, however, said coaching and infrastructural support could be arranged for Talukdar if he accepted the offer. Archery Association of Assam secretary Ashok Basumatary said if OIL took up the matter with the Tata Archery Academy in Jamshedpur, Talukdar could be accommodated there and continue his preparations for the mega event.

Sources said the world champion and Asian Games medallist has not yet taken a decision about joining OIL as the company has placed him in the rank of sportspersons who have not represented any state in their sporting career.

The OIL sports policy allows promotions to the executive level as soon as a sportsperson achieves an international feat. Sources said Talukdar’s family felt the firm was undermining his abilities by recruiting him on a par with sportspersons of inferior calibre.

The AASU, on the other hand, felt Talukdar should negotiate the terms and conditions and join the company because it was his family that approached the union for help. “His brother and a coach had approached us for help and accordingly, we moved the company which reciprocated favourably by recruiting him against a non-entity post,” AASU adviser Samujjal Bhattacharyya said.

Earlier, Talukdar had said he would love to play for Assam if he could work for OIL or ONGC. He was averse to joining the Indian Railways as the job would leave him with little time to dedicate to the sport.