<p>Poor sanitation and security continues to be a worry for the athletes at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium but Sports Minister Pramod Madhwaraj struck a different note on Saturday while asserting that anti-social elements won’t have any space at the venue.<br /><br /></p>.<p>“When you are maintaining such a huge stadium, one cannot assure 100 per cent perfection and problems are bound to happen. There will always be room for improvement but at the same time we will not allow any illegal activities. Whenever things come to my notice I always take corrective measures,” Madhwaraj told Deccan Herald.<br /><br />Athletes have been facing security concerns at the stadium while the toilets have been in pathetic state. On top of that came complaints that men were using female toilets.<br /><br />“We see many outsiders using female toilets and sometimes even the male athletes are seen using them. There are no proper latches on the toilet doors and it scares us,” said Anagha Gowda, a long-distance runner.<br /><br />Department of Youth Services and Sports (DYES) has been under fire for lack of maintenance, with the coaches and athletes who utilise the stadium complaining that the authorities have no awareness of the needs of the sportspersons. A senior coach blamed it all on failure of the administration.<br /><br />“We need sportspersons who can understand the demands of the athletes at the administrational level. Only then we can see improvement,” he said.<br /><br />Despite complaints, there were only cosmetic changes at the venue on Saturday, with signs printed on sheets stuck on toilet doors. DYES Director Anupam Agarwal said efforts are on to improve the facilities. Security and hygiene will be top priorities, he said.<br /><br />“We will soon begin the renovation of toilets in the stadium. We have also decided to change the security agency,” said Agarwal while DYES Deputy Director and stadium in-charge Ramesh said measures were on to improve the level of security.<br /><br />“We have instructed security personnel at the stadium to be on their toes and we are working on repairing the surveillance cameras. We are also making sure that police patrolling is regular inside the stadium during athletics meets,” he said.<br /><br />Agarwal said finance was a problem when it came to stadium maintenance. “Right now the Forest Department and Employee Provident Fund athletics meet is underway. We have around 1500 athletes participating and we don’t have enough maintenance money and we are having limited staff,” he said.</p>
<p>Poor sanitation and security continues to be a worry for the athletes at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium but Sports Minister Pramod Madhwaraj struck a different note on Saturday while asserting that anti-social elements won’t have any space at the venue.<br /><br /></p>.<p>“When you are maintaining such a huge stadium, one cannot assure 100 per cent perfection and problems are bound to happen. There will always be room for improvement but at the same time we will not allow any illegal activities. Whenever things come to my notice I always take corrective measures,” Madhwaraj told Deccan Herald.<br /><br />Athletes have been facing security concerns at the stadium while the toilets have been in pathetic state. On top of that came complaints that men were using female toilets.<br /><br />“We see many outsiders using female toilets and sometimes even the male athletes are seen using them. There are no proper latches on the toilet doors and it scares us,” said Anagha Gowda, a long-distance runner.<br /><br />Department of Youth Services and Sports (DYES) has been under fire for lack of maintenance, with the coaches and athletes who utilise the stadium complaining that the authorities have no awareness of the needs of the sportspersons. A senior coach blamed it all on failure of the administration.<br /><br />“We need sportspersons who can understand the demands of the athletes at the administrational level. Only then we can see improvement,” he said.<br /><br />Despite complaints, there were only cosmetic changes at the venue on Saturday, with signs printed on sheets stuck on toilet doors. DYES Director Anupam Agarwal said efforts are on to improve the facilities. Security and hygiene will be top priorities, he said.<br /><br />“We will soon begin the renovation of toilets in the stadium. We have also decided to change the security agency,” said Agarwal while DYES Deputy Director and stadium in-charge Ramesh said measures were on to improve the level of security.<br /><br />“We have instructed security personnel at the stadium to be on their toes and we are working on repairing the surveillance cameras. We are also making sure that police patrolling is regular inside the stadium during athletics meets,” he said.<br /><br />Agarwal said finance was a problem when it came to stadium maintenance. “Right now the Forest Department and Employee Provident Fund athletics meet is underway. We have around 1500 athletes participating and we don’t have enough maintenance money and we are having limited staff,” he said.</p>
