Judges Field: New beginning

April 6: It’s a victory for the sporting fraternity of the city. Judges Field will open its gate to sports activities after Bihu.

Dispur today said the Judges Field will be thrown open exclusively to sporting activities, a long-pending demand of the sporting fraternity, six of whom had filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the high court on February 18.

The field was made out of bounds for non-official functions owing to security concerns after the twin blasts during Republic Day celebrations in 2005.

The government plans to club the field with the Nehru Park by making the Station Road, which divides the two entities out of bounds for city buses. Before the carving out of Judges Field and Nehru Park, the entire area was known as Church Field for its proximity to Christ Church in Panbazar.

Guwahati development minister and government spokesperson Himanta Biswa Sarma said Judges Field would be used for “sport, games and walking” after Bihu.

“The home department has also agreed to relocate the Republic and Independence Day parades from the field. Once the park and the field are clubbed together the ambience of the area will change. The area will have two annexes to be known as Judges Field Annexe and Nehru Park Annexe. The initiative was part of the riverfront beautification plan of the government. People can now indulge in sporting activities as well as relax or take a walk once they enter the area,” Sarma said.

On matters related to holding fairs and setting up of any concrete structure on the field, the minister said permission to hold events would have to be taken from the district administration, while the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority would maintain the area.

Welcoming the government’s move, one of the six petitioners and a former Ranji wicketkeeper-batsman Devajit Saikia said the government should now ensure the development of the field for sporting activities. “As part of development, floodlights can be installed in the area so that the general public, particularly those who work, can use it during the evening,” he said.

The Assam Football Association, which met today, also appreciated the move.

The court had asked the government and the six “sports-inclined” persons who filed the petition — Sakia and five others — to resolve the matter related to re-opening of the field within May.

Devajit Saikia said they had made a representation to the state government in March enclosing the court’s order as well as a prayer to re-open the field for sporting activities. “Clubbing the two entities is a good move. These move will go a long way in restoring the earlier ambience. The government should, however, formally ensure that fairs and melas are not held as this will defeat the very purpose for which the field is being re-opened,” he said.