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Pune civic body deferred decision on funds diversion

The standing committee of the Pune municipal corporation on Tuesday deferred a decision on the proposal to divert part of funds meant for the development of its hockey stadium in Chikhalwadi.

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The standing committee of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on Tuesday deferred a decision on the proposal to divert part of funds meant for the development of its hockey stadium in Chikhalwadi.

Chairman of standing committee, Ganesh Bidkar, told DNA that the panel did not take any decision. “I would visit the stadium to see things for myself and then review the situation before acting on the proposal,” Bidkar said.

‘Chikhalwadi stadium neglect goes on’ (DNA, May 10) had highlighted the pathetic plight of the stadium and a proposal that has come to the standing committee for diverting Rs10 lakh out of budgetary provision of Rs25 lakh allotted for the stadium. This amount can be utilised till March 2012. 

But local corporator Shailaja Khedekar, along with another corporator Prakash Galande, who represents distant ward no 13 (Aga Khan Palace) had moved a proposal before the standing committee of the civic body to divert funds meant for the stadium for construction of a community hall.

After reading the news, the secretary of Maharashtra Hockey Association, Ikram Khan, called up Bidkar and requested him not to take any decision in haste on the corporators’ proposal. He also dashed off a letter to PMC authorities on the issue.

Khan expressed happiness over the decision. “If the PMC is ready to hand over the stadium to the association we can make it ready to use within short period. If that is not possible, we are offering PMC our support and consultancy without charging anything. We just want the ground to be ready as early as possible,” he added.

The stadium, built in 2008 at Rs2 crore, is in a shambles. DNA had, in a series of reports between March 3 and July 9 last year, 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 into the matter.

Hockey lovers have found the steps taken by PMC to protect the stadium from further destruction as insufficient.

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