Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
At Garware Stadium, young men and women prepare for police and army recruitment practice in the morning and evening. These are students of institutions that provide pre-recruitment training for police. A few months ago, the municipal corporation decided that if these institutions want to send students to practice at Garware Stadium, they must pay ₹10,000 per month. The implementation of this decision has only recently begun. The municipal corporation has taken the stance that students will not be allowed entry to the ground until the respective institutions pay the fees.
Cidco-Hudco transferred the stadium to the municipal corporation in 2006. For many years, no one had used the ground. Recently, municipal corporation administrator G Sreekanth paid attention to the ground and developed it, spending crores of rupees. Outside the cricket ground, students preparing for police and army recruitment practice running exercises, while in the adjacent open ground, they practice javelin throw, shot put, and other drills. The municipal corporation had never seriously focused on this. Unemployed youth did not stop students from practicing.
Last week, the issue escalated when a female student practicing at the ground accused an ex-serviceman of harassment. Following this, the municipal corporation denied entry to students coming for practice. Angry youths went to the official residence of the administrator at Delhi Gate, on Friday evening, but did not get a meeting with him.
Implementation of the old resolution
A few months ago, the municipal corporation had passed a resolution stating that students of pre-recruitment training institutions must pay ₹10,000 per month to practice at the ground. Sources said that the implementation of this resolution has now begun. The resolution sets the rates for regular players, training institutions, and others. Even after the resolution, for several days, young men and women were getting free entry. “Why is the implementation happening only now?” the youths have questioned.