Nagpur, March 31
With the local star players like Malvika Bansod excelling at national and international-level, the game of badminton is rapidly gaining popularity in the city. To cater to the need of budding as well as experienced city shuttlers, Nagpur Municipal Corporation has developed infrastructure for it.
A badminton hall will soon be ready at Sambhaji Garden near Chhatrapati Square soon. Work of the hall having three wooden courts is in last phase and is expected to be completed in two months. Former Maharashtra chief minister and current MLA from South-West constituency Devendra Fadnavis has provided Rs 3 crore for the hall.
After Vivekanand Nagar and Tukdoji Sports Complex hall, this will be the third badminton hall to be managed by NMC.
Former corporator Sandip Joshi said, “There is a provision of three wooden courts and one modem gymnasium in the hall. Electrification and some outdoor work are still pending. It is expected to be completed in two months. The provision for it will be made in the forthcoming budget,” he said.
However, some local residents have said that the hall is completed and is awaiting inauguration but Joshi denied it.
The residents of the area are demanding the hall be opened as early as possible so their wards can undertake the practice during summer vacation. Megha Nayse, whose daughter and son are state-level badminton players, said, “There is a hall at Vivekanand Nagar but it is very difficult to get a slot there due to heavy rush. If Sambhaji Garden hall starts functioning, then it will be good for the people residing in nearby areas.”
Handover halls to sports associations only: Kashikar
The secretary of Nagpur District Badminton Association (NDBA) Mangesh Kashikar has demanded that NMC and NIT should hand over their indoor halls to the sports associations instead of private contractors.”It is a pity that only one contractor (Shailendra Ghate) is managing NMC and NIT indoor halls in the city. It has resulted in commercialization of the game. We are ready to run the hall. There should be transparency while allocating time slots to coaches. The qualified and deserving coaches should get the priority,” he said.