Badminton players stranded at railway station to fly to Bhopal after minister’s intervention

KOCHI: A team of sportspersons from Kerala will now fly to Bhopal to participate in the National School Badminton Championship on Sunday, due to the intervention by Public Education Department Minister V Sivankutty.

The team of 20 student athletes, along with their coach, manager and two other officials, were initially set to travel by train. Third AC tickets had been booked for their journey on the Ernakulam–Nizamuddin Mangala Express, scheduled to depart at 1:25 pm today. However, only two out of 23 reserved tickets were confirmed, causing concern among parents who were reluctant to let the young athletes travel without adequate supervision.

The team and their parents were left waiting at Ernakulam railway station, uncertain about how they would reach Bhopal in time for the event. Responding to the urgency of the situation, Minister Sivankutty directed the Overseas Development and Employment Promotion Consultants Ltd. (ODEPC), an agency under the Labor Department, to arrange flight tickets for the entire team and accompanying officials.

Minister Sivankutty expressed his best wishes to the athletes and emphasized his commitment to supporting young sportspersons in Kerala. The team is now set to fly to Bhopal, ready to represent the state in the national championship.