DU sports complex lying unused

'Facility upgraded during CWG not hosted single event in past 3 yrs'

The sports complex in Delhi University’s North Campus which was upgraded during the Commonwealth Games 2010 is still vastly underutilised, according to the university teachers. 

DU has not used the complex for any sporting event in the last three years, let alone opening doors for university community, said the member of DU sports council Anita Ghosh.

The sports complex includes a rugby court as well as a multi-purpose hall with facilities for indoor sports. But the multi-purpose hall alone is accessible to students and university staff for a monthly fee of Rs 250 and Rs 500 respectively.

Pramod Shastri, teacher of physical education at Kirori Mal College said, “We can’t train our students in the sports complex anymore. Before the CWG, the ground was used for intensive coaching sessions for athletics and cricket. The complex was open for the entire university community, free of charge.”

The upgraded Polo Ground – which has a synthetic track and was used as one of the training grounds during CWG games – also remains inaccessible to students throughout the year. But the university says the ground was used for hosting inter-college and inter-university matches for hockey and baseball.  

The upkeep of rugby ground is an expensive proposition, said the chairperson of the sports council, arguing why it is not used for sporting events. “Grass is very costly,” he added.

“Sporting facility has taken a back seat, even though sports fees are charged from every student. The last time university won the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy was in 2005,” said Ghosh, accusing the present DU administration of neglecting sports. 

The Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy is awarded annually to the University that has given the best and all round performance in sports activities during the year of the award.

The underutilisation of stadia upgraded during CWG games also finds mention in the white paper – on financial and other irregularities committed by the VC – released by the Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) on Tuesday.

“The facilities have been closed to students, and are either going to rack and ruin, such as the Maplewood flooring in the multi-purpose hall in the sports complex and the synthetic track in the polo ground, or have been used for other purposes such as the Cluster Innovation Centre, for holding the university’s fest Antardhvani etc,” the teacher body in the white paper alleged. 

Substantiating the allegations, Ghosh said the innovation centre – which runs meta-college and meta-university courses – was established in one of the sports complex building, whereas the sport council operates from a small ‘ransacked’ office.