The rowing centre at Sidhwan Canal near Doraha, inaugurated with great enthusiasm by Lovely Professional University (LPU) in 2023, has ceased operations due to the unavailability of a coach. The facility, which once offered training on the canal, now stands abandoned, leaving young athletes without a platform to pursue the sport.
Background of the Rowing Centre
The Sidhwan Canal gained recognition on Punjab's sports map in 2023 when LPU began rowing training there. That same year, the Water Resources Department revived motorboat rides on a one-kilometre stretch of the Sirhind Canal near Doraha after nearly 140 years. However, while the boat rides failed due to frequent breakdowns, the rowing centre's closure was attributed entirely to the lack of coaching staff.
Jasvir Singh Gill Dhudike, general secretary of the Punjab Rowing Association, expressed dismay over the shutdown. He stated, “Shutting down a centre means breaking the dreams of every child who came to the canal hoping it would change his or her life. It is not just this centre that has met this fate. The situation at other centres is not good either.”
Government Support Lacking
Dhudike highlighted that rowing has received negligible support from the state government over the past six years. “If infrastructure can come up for weightlifting, hockey, cricket and football, why can’t it happen for rowing? Former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi gave Rs 96.5 lakh but it had to be returned during the current government’s regime — for reasons best known to them,” he said.
According to Dhudike, of four rowing nurseries allotted by the Water Resources Department in Bathinda, Ludhiana, Mansa, and Pathankot, the last two never started. He added, “I didn’t want to close the programme and started centres somehow at Moga and Akhara. At Moga, I am running it using my own money or by requesting non-resident Indians (NRIs) and relatives for help. The situation in Bathinda, Sudhar and Akhara is no better.”
Deteriorating Conditions at Other Centres
Dhudike described the poor state of existing rowing centres. “We are working with an old machine at Bathinda and three old boats at Akhara. At Sudhar, Panjab University (PU) has given boats but they need repair. If I don’t look after the centres, which are already on their last breath, they will die. Rowing, as a sport in the state, will die with them,” he warned.
He noted that Ropar, a major centre, only accepts select students, leaving many without opportunities. After the Doraha centre closed, Dhudike shifted its students to Moga with minimal expenses. “No child who wants to row should be left out,” he asserted.
Rowers Forced to Leave Punjab
The lack of facilities is driving rowers to relocate to other states. For the upcoming Switzerland World Cup, athletes are being sent to Odisha, Pune, and Hyderabad for preparation. “How sad it is that we can’t afford rowing here. The future for girls in rowing is all the more bleak,” Dhudike lamented.
He has made multiple appeals to the state government for support. “I have a bundle of letters. I tried to contact the CM, Cabinet ministers and local MLA, but all I got was disappointment. I am now tying up with universities, especially the PU, Punjabi University and Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU). I am asking for coaches and other equipment so rowing can survive,” he said.
Call for Action
Dhudike urged Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to fund the centres to help keep youth away from drugs by promoting sports. The closure of the Doraha centre underscores the broader challenges facing rowing in Punjab, where inadequate infrastructure and lack of government support threaten the sport's survival.
