Lip service on misuse of Balewadi sports complex in Pune

State minister for sports and youth welfare, Padmakar Valvi, on Monday said permission for holding non-sporting events like lavish wedding ceremonies is restricted to the parking area at the Shiv Chhatrapati sports complex in Balewadi.

“If the table tennis, badminton and weightlifting halls were also used for the wedding function, then it is not right,” Valvi told DNA on Monday. He said he would look into the matter and ensure that the place is cleaned of garbage immediately.

Valvi was reacting to the furore in the city after a portion of the sports complex was used for the high profile wedding function of Union minister, Vilasrao Deshmukh’s niece, Gauravi Deshmukh, on Saturday.

DNA on Monday highlighted the manner in which the venue was left littered by the event managers after the wedding. A large number of prominent politicians — including chief minister Prithviraj Chavan and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar — were among those who attended the wedding ceremony.

Asked why the sports venue was being increasingly used for non-sporting events, Valvi said some non-sporting events have to be allowed to meet the high maintenance cost of the huge complex. “Without such a source of income, it is impossible to maintain such a big sporting facility,” he said.

The ultra-modern sports complex was upgraded at a cost of Rs350 crore ahead of the Commonwealth Youth Games. After that event, the complex was meant to be used for training and
promoting sports.