Shooting range asks Rs 1O,000 fee

Thrissur: The trap and skeet shooting range, the second of its kind in south India set up spending '6 crore on the Kerala Police Academy (KPA) campus at Ramavarmapuram here uprooting more than 55 trees, has again become dysfunctional even after a three-year-long legal fight at the Kerala High Court.

The shooting club of the KPA as per the direction of HC had three active members for practising trap and skeet since January 2018. Now officials in-charge of the club have demanded another annual fee of '10,000 from members over and above the same amount of membership fee.  They were also made to pay the users’ fee and charges for the cartridge (clay birds) during the training.

Besides that, it denied membership to Merin Nelson, an upcoming shooter certified by the National Rifle Association, citing that she does not have a gun licence.

“To participate in a game, it is not mandatory that a shooter needs a gun license. The machinery for propelling the clay birds was gathering rust after trenches at the range keeping them got immersed in water during the monsoon after the National Games. Both machines were of the latest technology and imported from Germany. The plan was to dismantle the range after the Games and use it for the shooting butt for training cops. So, I moved the HC citing waste of public money, and the authorities had to abide by its order to make it functional,” the petitioner in the HC and DCC general secretary Shaji J. Kodankandath said.

“Now with the Academy officials associated with the club demanding a payment of Rs 10,000 for every year and not allowing people without a gun licence as members, it is clear that the Academy and the government do not want the club and range to function. I will be again moving the HC citing the present stalemate.”

A club member and pistol shooter Dr Broosh S. Puthiyidom said that he joined the club with the ambition to participate in the south zone trap and skeet event held for shooters of southern sta-tes. “The officials allow just an hour on Sundays, and there is no coach to give us lessons. We often learn by following YouTube videos,” he said.

“At present only one propeller out of two for flying the clay birds functions, and it takes 55 to 60 shots to set the aim while practising. But, soon after one hour of practice, the officials will close the range and leave the place. Besides that, since last month, we are not practising as the club demanded '10,000 as the annual fee.”