Barkas Maidan, a Nursery of National & International Players

Barkas: With the proposal of developing the Barkas maidan (also known as Eid Gah maidan) into a football stadium at an estimated cost of Rs 5.89 cr, the budding sportsmen from the area are up in arms.

Local sports clubs have described that the decision would not only curb the youngsters who have been playing there, but also prevent young talent in taking shape.

According to local sports clubs which are against the proposal of turning the 2-acre land into a sports stadium by GHMC, this playground played key role in shaping the talent of scores of players who went to play in national and international arenas.

For instance, Irfan Bin Hamed Al Hamoomi, a visually-challenged judoka practiced here and later went on to win a bronze medal in judo in the Junior World Games (Paralympics) in Hungary in 2013.

The young talent in Barkas draw inspiration from players like Asad Bohgdadi, Captain Ahmed Jameel, Ahmed Commander, Ali Sharfi, Awad Qaiser Billesqa, Ahmed Bahmaid, Mohd Ghouse Pahelwan, Syed Irfan, some of them have now turned themselves into coach for budding sportsmen.

“We all are highly educated, but corruption and social standing prevented us to serve the nation,” lamented Abdallah Ail Bahmaid, a member of Barkas Sports Federation.

Barkas which comes under Chandrayanagutta constituency has about 2 lakh population, mostly the Arab Diaspora. Ever since the announcement was made that the ground would be a stadium, the sportsmen are up in arms given the fact there would be no alternative piece of land where they can practice.

For decades, the ground has also been used as arena for wrestling, taekwondo, boxing, cross fit, kabbadi, cricket, football, volleyball and several other spots, besides yoga.

Abdallah Bahmaid explained that there were two grounds in the locality, but the authorities has chosen the small one with 2 acres of land, when there was another ground with 8 acres of land (Abbas stadium) under CRPF control.

He felt that if the authorities were serious about developing a stadium in the area, they could have acquired bigger one, which was four folds more than the size of the ground under question.

Some others have referred to the upcoming stadium Indra Reddy near Mailardevpally not far away from the proposed site, which could serve the purpose. With its 8-acres of land, all kinds of sports amenities have been planned there and well-connected through the Ring Road.

Ali Sharfi, University and National footballer felt that the local players were never against the development in the City, but given the attachment of the locals to the grounds for more than a century and with no alternative it would be tough for them to digest.

He also held that the ground was nursery for many budding sportsmen who later went on to play at national level. For instances many a players have played for Ranji trophy. “As there is only a ground left in surrounding area, in which both Indoor and outdoor games are played in a single ground the authorities should find an alternative place close to it for the purpose,” he said.

Ahmed Ranjhi cricketer and national handball player said that the Barkas ground was the 2nd home. “After our daily routine we spend our time here by practicing and many of players practice Football, Volleyball, Cricket etc,” he noted.