mangalore ever wondered why sporting activity barring cricket is suffering in the country the skating rink in mangalore is a case in point the grounds about two acres opposite kadri park which was given free of cost by horticulture department for skating activities is becoming a major point of spat between a skating coach who used the facility and produced champions from district and the department which is trying make a quick buck out of a facility which is used for just four months in a year the trigger point seems to be the letter by zilla panchayat ceo tulsi maddineni to mahesh kumar coach mangalore rollerskating club and also a national referee on january 18 2014 the letter demanded mahesh to contribute funds not less than rs 50000 for the flower show at kadri park you have been using the department property and we need rs 610 lakh for the show in february we expect your cooperation stated the letter mahesh who trains about 25 children for rs 600 per month for just four months in a year and also about eight challenged children for free was aghast finally he managed to get rs 15000 and when he approached the department the assistant director reprimanded him that at least rs 25000 should have been contribution from his side this was the beginning of troubles for mahesh now the department has decided to etender the facility and has called for expression of interest for use and maintenance of skating rink established by department of horticulture at kadri park mangalore in fact the statement the department established the skating rink is a big question mark since rs 12 lakh was contributed by mescom and nearly rs 4 lakh by mahesh when the work was stopped halfway due to cost over runs my query on how much on what the department spent the money has not elicited any reply said mahesh his mistake was trust the bureaucracy in 2009 when the joint director of horticulture assured him that the there was no need for a mou since the space was being used for sports a parent whose child was a national champion last year under the tutelage of mahesh said this is atrocious instead of supporting sports the department is trying make money out of it this is exactly why sports suffer in india we dont know what will happen to the children who have immense talent and who will coach them with department gunning for mahesh in the guise of generating revenue from the space said the parent other interesting fact is that the zp ceo when parents approached her for some solution she put a foot note in their memorandum which read the ad horticulture is hereby directed to collect a monthly rent of rs 5500 for evening practise from 4pm to 730pm for the next four months by which time the tender process will be completed another parent said rs 600 per month is pittance