Hyderabad: Iftar party tents at LB stadium play spoilsport for summer camp

Hyderabad: The annual summer camps which have started after a gap of two years are still a non-starter in many places including at the famous Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium in the heart of the city as the tents erected for the Iftar party by the government were yet to be removed even after one week of Eid-Ul-Fitr leading to inconvenience to the budding cricketers.

Among all other venues for the Summer Camps, LB Stadium is for cricket discipline. Though the summer camp was started in the last week of April, the camp could not begin because of the tents being erected for the Iftar party by the government to the Muslims in the city. The Iftar was organised on April 27 and Eid-Ul-Fitr was on May 3. It has been more than a week since the Iftar party but the tents are still occupying the stadium leading to inconvenience to the children who are made to do warm-ups on the steps.

The coaches are worried that if they are allowed inside the ground, the tent material may lead to injuries because it would be difficult to control the children.

According to sources in the Sports Authority, the agency was deliberately delaying the removal of tents so that they can get more rent. Annoyed with the delay in the removal of the tents, the parents have given a representation to the Managing Director of Sports Authority of Telangana State (SATS) urging them to remove the tent immediately.

The parent's association members said that they paid Rs 2,050 as fee for the summer camp but there were no facilities provided by the authorities. "The ground is covered half by tents with rods, there is no grass, no water being provided. For what reason the SATS collect Rs 2050," said a parent.

Former athlete JS Chauhan said that the Sports Authority was spending crores of rupees for leveling the ground every year and much more was spent during the Afro-Asian Games held in Hyderabad. This perennial expenditure in leveling the ground is a waste of money. There is a Supreme Court guideline that political meetings should not be allowed in the sports stadiums, he said urging the state government to not allow any public functions except the national festivals, ie, Independence Day and Republic Day.