Hockey stadium funds diverted for PMC's community hall

In a surprising move, the general body (GB) of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) diverted Rs10 lakh, meant for the Chikalwadi hockey stadium, for completion of a community hall on Thursday without any discussion.  Funds totalling Rs4.3 crore were diverted from 17 different projects by the GB, which met under the chairmanship of mayor Mohansingh Rajpal.

The proposal for diverting funds from the hockey stadium project to the community hall was based on the letter by local corporator, Shailaja Khedekar, and a related resolution approved by the PMC’s standing committee.

The move to divert funds meant for the hockey stadium was brought to light by DNA on May 10. This had prompted the Hockey Association to contact the PMC standing committee chairman, Ganesh Bidkar, who had promised to defer the proposal.
There is a provision of Rs25 lakh for various development works of Chikhalwadi hockey stadium in the municipal budget for fiscal 2011-12.  These funds can be utilised  till March 2012.

The stadium, built in 2008 at a cost of Rs2 crore, is in shambles. DNA, in a series of reports between March 3 and July 9 last year, had highlighted the utter neglect of the stadium. Following the DNA campaign, the then municipal commissioner, Mahesh Zagade, had set up an inquiry committee to probe the matter.
The PMC took some steps to protect the stadium from further vandalism, but hockey lovers found them insufficient.