The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Badly kept nurseries of talent

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 03, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Badly kept nurseries of talent

Kalyan Ashok

Bangalore: Though every Bangalorean can be proud of the city’s sports facilities, he or she should also be worrying about the lack of proper maintenance. The Chinnaswamy Stadium, for instance, does have the best facilities, but the ground staff who labour to keep the turf in shape, survive on a paltry salary.

Considering cricket is a media-intensive sport, photographers find the boundary ropes too close to the fence. The sight of a sprinting fielder might look great on camera but when he is hurtling towards the ropes, lensmen have to take evasive action. A constant complaint about the KSCA, especially during major cricketing ties, is the lack of adequate public toilets. “Hours together we are cooped in there like a can of sardines and at times, it can be terrible,” says Harish Sharma, a cricket fan.

Eyesore

The Football Stadium in Ashok Nagar is an eyesore and lacks facilities for both spectators and players. As for the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, its synthetic tracks have worn out and with the seating galleries in poor shape, it is time for the Sports Authority of Karnataka and Directorate of Youth Services and Sports, to get their act together.

Sadly the Indoor Stadium is used more for consumer fairs. Moreover, officials of the various sports associations complain about the exorbitant costs of conducting an event in the Indoor Stadium. “The power bill for a day runs up to Rs. 50,000,” said an official. The wooden courts inside are also at risk with the increase in automobile exhibitions.

But it is a Catch-22 situation. As a stadium official puts it: “If we cannot rent it out for exhibitions, how do we raise funds for maintenance?”

Though the city has major sporting venues, little attention is paid towards their maintenance. Sports lovers feel that a separate authority for maintenance of major sports facilities should be formed and adequately funded. Involving the corporate sector is another option. The KBA did that when it faced a crunch. “We enlisted the support of Raheja Builders and simply co-named the stadium after the group,” says N.C. Sudhir, secretary of the KBA.

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