'Had to empty Thyagraj at 6 for IAS officer to walk his dog', reveals coach from stadium

Delhi's Thyagraj Stadium has been in the limelight after an IAS officer allegedly vacated the stadium for walking his dog.

Speaking to ANI, a coach from Thyagraj Stadium said, "Yes, it's true. An IAS officer walks his dog on the athletics track and because of him, we are asked to vacate the stadium by 6:45 pm. We had been given clear instructions that the stadium should be emptied by that time. It is not possible for us to continue with our training at 4 pm in this weather condition. We have asked the authorities to look into the matter."

Meanwhile, former wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt said, "I was really disappointed when I heard the news. This is shocking for all of us that an IAS officer wants to walk his dog and because of that, the athletes have to suffer. If you want to walk your dog, then go to a park instead. I urge the authorities to take appropriate actions on this."

In a media report over the past few months, athletes and coaches at the Delhi government-run Thyagraj Stadium have been complaining about being forced to wrap training earlier than usual, by 7 pm. The reason, according to them, is that Delhi's Principal Secretary (Revenue) Sanjeev Khirwar walks his dog at the facility for about half an hour.

A 1994 batch IAS officer, Khirwar is currently the revenue commissioner of Delhi. He is also the secretary of the Environment Department of Delhi.

Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has ordered that all government-run sports facilities should stay open till 10 pm.

( With inputs from ANI )

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