Follow Us
Akash Ghai
Tribune News Service
Mohali, December 14
Close on the heels of increase in the water tariff, the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) has increased the fees for the five sports complexes across the town, lending a blow to the budding sportspersons and residents who avail various services at these centres.
Interestingly, all the five centers — Phase V, Phase VII, Phase IX, Sector 69 and Sector 71 — have poor infrastructure. The wooden flooring of badminton courts is broken at several places and so are the tiles in swimming pools and change rooms.
The football ground at Phase VII Sports Complex is uneven, due to which several budding players sustain injuries. There is no water supply to the change rooms attached to the swimming pools. Lighting at the badminton courts is also not up to the mark. Toilets in all the sports complexes could be found stinking at any given time. Taps are missing from water coolers. Several windowpanes in the sports halls are broken and the authorities never bother to replace the broken glass.
While the decision of substantial hike in fees is being termed as “unjustified” by the members, the authorities claim that they are suffering losses following which the charges have been increased.
“The monthly expense for running these complexes is around Rs 6 lakh and we are getting nearly Rs 1 lakh per month in return. In such a situation, we are left with no other option but to increase the rates,” said Ravi Bhagat, chief administrator, GMADA.
Surprisingly, the authorities have given a major portion at two of its sports complexes to a private player for running a gymnasium and no amount is being charged from him. The authorities have no reasonable answer for this “special favour” to the private party.
Goldy, Vikas and Bhupinder Singh, who come to play badminton at Phase VII Sports Complex were critical of the hike and lamented the lack of facilities. “During rains, the roof of the badminton hall leaks,” said one of them. “At least three windows of the hall have no glass on them and the court floor is also broken and slippery at certain spots. Nobody is bothered to repair or maintain the infrastructure, then why this hike?” asked another.
“It’s not a profit making venture. If some poor sportspersons leave the membership following increase in fees, the whole purpose of erecting this infrastructure would be defeated,” said a coach on condition of anonymity.
Private players
A senior GMADA official said they were planning to rope in private players to run these complexes. “First, two of the total five complexes would be given to private players. If the experiment works then the model would be followed in all complexes,” said the official. He further said the previous fee structure was too less to attract any private player. “The fee structure has been increased for this obvious reason,” the official pointed.
4
8
9