Now armed forces of Sri Lanka to maintain cricket grounds

Local media of Sri lanka reported that three key sports grounds of the country that were under the Ministry of sports had been taken over by the Ministry of Defense.

The grounds that have been taken over are Sooriyawewa Mahinda Rajapaksa Esplanade, R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo and Pallekale Stadium in Kandy.

Media reported that the Ministry of Sports stated the sports grounds were handed over to the Ministry of Defense to minimize the massive expenditure that had to be incurred for the maintenance of the esplanades.

Money earning Sri Lanka Cricket is now near bankrupt. Ministry of Defense is Sri Lanka's biggest spender of public money. Yet it has workforce to do things. Soldiers have no work now thanks to peace. Therefore they will sweep and pick the leaves fell on these grounds. In addition, they will have perhaps a chance to play a game of soft ball cricket as well in a corner of one of these grounds that remain unused most of the time in the year.

Plans are underway to deploy the personnel of the three armed forces to maintain the grounds, sources say.

From this month the Air Force will be managing the RPS and the Navy has taken over the Pallekele Stadium while the Army will be maintaining the Hambantota Stadium.

It is good maintaining sports grounds. Most of the sports grounds of the common man are completely never maintained by the local government authorities that own them. Sometimes they become even burial grounds for local politicians and priests. In some other occasions, they are th venue for musical shows. Not bad yet, they can be accessed by public.

Some school playgrounds are now out of bound to the villagers. The principals have locked the gates. Notices are displayed stating children playing in village ground is trespassing.

What a sporty country this is!