As many 28 disgruntled senior women hockey trainees Sundargarh district today fled from the state government-run sports hostel sports hostel at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar and returned to Rourkela in protest against various problems faced by them.

Sources said the trainees went out for long-distance running today morning after completing their daily practice at the Kalinga Stadium hockey complex. But they and did not return either to the stadium or their hostel.

Instead, the trainees went to Rourkela, where they met Rourkela ADM K Sudershan Chakravorty in the presence of Raghunathpalli MLA Subrat Tarai to apprise them of their grievances. The ADM and MLA assured to look into the matter and convinced them to go to Rourkela-based Panposh Sports Hostel (PSH), where they were staying earlier.

PSH coach-in-charge A N Bihari said the girls would be sent back to Bhubaneswar on Sunday by Inter-City Express. Among other things they cited difficulties in pursuing education as most of them are studying in various colleges across Sundargarh district. They were also peeved at the day-to-day problems including delayed supply of food and hinderances in practice.

Bhubaneswar Sports Hostel superintendent Bijay Kumar Kanungo confirmed the running away of the trainees but refuted the allegation of delay in food supply. ``Since the joining of the hockey girls at the sports hostel here in May this year, they are being supplied diet according to their schedule. They never complained to me about any inconvenience. They fled from the hostel without informing anybody,`` said Kanungo.

The hostel superintendent, however, revealed that the girls were mentally not happy in the Bhubaneswar hostel and were facing difficulty in pursuing education. ``Since they belong to Sundargarh district and come from tribal families, they were not feeling comfortable here. Unable to pursue education was a reason for them to feel unhappy,`` said Kanungo, who also formally informed police about the girls running away from the hostel.

The action of the girls has once again raised question on the bizarre decision of the Sports Department to close the Centre of Excellence at the PSH and shift the girls to Bhubaneswar hostel. Hockey Olympian Michael Kindo had earlier flayed the government decision and said the decision would ruin hockey talents as they would miss competitive environment at Bhubaneswar.

It is strange that the Sports Department did not make any arrangement for the education of the girl trainees before shifting them to the Bhubaneswar Hostel. Perhaps the Department authorities are more busy for the staging of Men’s Championship Trophy Tournament in Bhubaneswar in December and took the girl trainee’s education issue as less important.

Should not the Sports Minister Sudam Marndi and Sports Secretary Saswat Mishra be held responsible for this unfortunate incident. The sports-loving people of Odisha neen an official answer from the authorities?