Gurgaon: A series of accidents involving basketball poles across Haryana in recent months has triggered fresh concerns over the safety, installation standards and maintenance of sports infrastructure.On Tuesday, Haryana Olympic Association (HOA) wrote to the state registrar of societies and the deputy commissioner, demanding a statewide safety audit, two days after an incident in Sector 84.On Sunday, 24-year-old Kartik Dalal suffered three major spinal fractures after a basketball pole collapsed on him at Antariksh Heights. The incident, coupled with those in Rohtak and Bahadurgarh earlier, has intensified calls for urgent intervention.HOA also flagged that earlier requests for a special investigation team probe into similar fatal incidents in Lakhan Majra (Rohtak) and Bahadurgarh have not yielded shared findings.As part of a proposal to be tabled at its AGM on July 27, HOA has recommended centralised auditing through district sports officers, creation of a statewide inventory of facilities and coordinated enforcement under deputy commissioners.HOA president Capt Jasvinder Meenu Beniwal told TOI, “We are seeing repeated, preventable accidents due to lack of accountability and monitoring. There must be mandatory registration and periodic safety certification of all sports infrastructure, just like fire and lift clearances. Without a centralised system, these risks will continue to endanger lives.”While isolated advisories have been issued in the past, there was no comprehensive statewide inspection drive or binding safety protocol for installation and maintenance of sports equipment in residential societies and public spaces, exposing a glaring regulatory gap.Experts have long warned that poor installation, rusting bases due to waterlogging and absence of periodic load testing are key risks, with even higher safety concerns in facilities like swimming pools lacking certified lifeguards.With multiple incidents now surfacing, the latest case has renewed pressure on authorities to move beyond reactive advisories and implement a robust, enforceable safety regime across Haryana.According to the CCTV footage, on Sunday evening, when Kartik was playing with friends, a player briefly hung on the pole moments before the structure tilted and collapsed, trapping him underneath.His family alleged delayed response by society authorities and prior complaints about poor upkeep being ignored. Antariksh Heights Buyers’ Association has sought an independent inquiry and maintenance audit.Expanding its push, HOA has now called for mandatory registration of all fields of play (FOPs) across Haryana, citing fragmented ownership and poor maintenance across state-run complexes, panchayat grounds, schools, universities and private societies. The field of play is the officially marked, bounded area where a sporting competition takes place.Earlier two teenage basketball players died in separate accidents in Haryana after court poles collapsed on them during practice sessions.Hardik, 15, was practising at Lakhan Majra sports complex in Rohtak around 10 am on Nov 25 Nov when he leapt towards the hoop and attempted to hang from it.The CCTV footage of the incident showed that the basketball pole suddenly gave away and landed on his chest. His friends, seated along the court’s edge, rushed him to a hospital where he was declared dead. Hardik had been shortlisted for the Under-15 national basketball championship.Aman suffered injuries when a basketball pole collapsed on him during a practice session inside a school in Bahadurgarh on Nov 23. He died of injuries during treatment a day later.
