Stadium development fund squandered ?
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, December 05 2014 :
Even as the Government of India has already sanctioned a National level sports university to be set up in the State as an acknowledgement of the spectacular and consistent performance of Manipuri players in National and international championships, a sum of Rs 50 crore sanctioned for development/renovation of Khuman Lampak Sports is likely to be squandered because of the State Government's misplaced sports management policy.
The 13th Finance Commission sanctioned Rs 100 crore for development of the Khuman Lampak main stadium, hockey stadium, boxing stadium, the compound wall and replacement of the hockey stadium's astroturf.
Out of the sanctioned amount, Rs 50 crore was sanctioned in two phases at the rate of Rs 25 crore each.
According to a well placed source, the main stadium's capacity of 25,000 to 30,000 people should be hiked to 60,000 apart from installing flood lighting system so that the stadium is fit for matches at night with the money sanctioned by the 13th Finance Commission.
Although it was directed to replace the hockey stadium's astro turf with a new one within one month, the stadium remain inaccessible to players as well as officials alike for almost one year.
The new astro turf laid after a gap of almost one year is now torn.
Even though the astro turf is a new one and very costly, the torn portions have let down the whole process.
The hockey stadium's goal posts are made of painted steel which according to standard rules should be made of original fibre approved at the National level.
This is a serious lapse in terms of adhering to standard norms, said the source.
Rather than demolishing the sub-standard compound wall constructed earlier in order to build it anew, a new compound wall was constructed over the already existing sub-standard wall, said the source.
Construction and development works of Khuman Lampak Sports Complex are being done by the Manipur Development Society which is headed by Chief Minister O Ibobi as chairman.
Incidentally, Ibobi is also in charge of Youth Affairs and Sports.
However, no tender was held for execution of these works, decried the source while asking authorities concerned to name the contractors engaged in the development/renovation works of the stadium.
Questioning the logic behind keeping the stadium's main gate always shut thereby creating inconveniences to players, organisers, coaches and managers, the source maintained that the State Government's sports policy has turned out to be a big flop.