Karnataka-run sports infrastructure in a shambles: CAG

Bengaluru: If mismanagement in terms of irregular release of cash incentives, discrepancies in awards to Karnataka sportspersons by the Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports (DYES) formed a part of the findings in the latest Comptroller & Auditor General (CAG) report, 'regional disparity' in creation of sports infrastructure and 'deficiencies' in maintaining facilities make up the other part. 

Under the 'Regional Disparities in distribution of expenditure towards Sports Infrastructure', 29 out of the 31 districts accounted for just 0-6 percent of the total expenditure, with districts - Bidar, Dharwad, Kalaburgi, Ramanagara and Vijayanagara - receiving no fund till date. 

"The major portion of the grants were invested only in two districts -- Mandya and Bengaluru Urban -- with expenditure of 14 and 39 percent respectively," the CAG pointed out in its report for the period 2019-2024. 

"We, in eight test-checked districts, observed idle or under-utilised infrastructure, poor maintenance, limited access to taluks, regional disparities and issues such as incorrect site selection and repeated changes in the scope of works," accused the report futher summarising that the governement/ DYES did not identify and prioritise districts/ taluks for creating sporting facilities which lacked basic infrastructure. 

Stating Karnataka's 2018 Sports Policy, which mentions that every district is to have at least one multi-sports coaching centre and one Olympic-standard swimming pool by 2030, the report found that neither was available in the eight districts selected.

Additionally, the mandated Community Sports Centres for conducting regular taluk and district-level games could not be established by the DYES in the 29 sampled taluks due to the non-availability of taluk stadiums. 

"This underscores the absence of systematic planning and insufficient need assessment by the DYES in carrying out policy mandate. The fact remains that 89 taluks remained without sports infrastructure threby the local youths were deprived of access to facilities necessary for nurturing sporting talent," said the CAG.  

According to the audit, out of the 233 undertakings - including construction and upgradation of stadiums - with a total estimated cost of Rs 342.51 crore, as many as 57 works costing Rs 45.64 crore were still in progress.

And out of the 172 completed works, 43 costing Rs 43.84 crore, were finished without obtaining technical sanctions while 11 slated to be completed were not handed over either to District Stadium Management Committee (DSMC) or DYES and four were not taken up by the agencies.  

The CAG's joint physical verification of stadiums across eight sampled districts and 29 taluks revealed unhygienic conditions, substandard arenas, waterlogging, garbage accumulation, absence of cleaning staff, lack of drainage systems, lack of approach roads, absence of watch and ward staff, among others, leading to misuse of premises. 

68 boys in four rooms!

The CAG, in its damning report, charged that the physical evaluation at two DYES sports schools and eight hostels in the test-checked districts, threw light on the miserable conditions that grassroot athletes have to endure. 

In Dharwad sports hostel, CAG found that 68 boys were accomodated in four rooms and 32 girls in four rooms without proper ventilation. In Davangere, 160 candidates were accomodated in 28 rooms with only four bathrooms usable out of 12 where either the tap was not working or a door was broken. Here, 'the food was not as per mandated quality and not the same as mentioned in the menu'.

In Vijayapura's girls sports hostel, there was no solar heater for bathing water, no drinking water leading to 200 litres of daily purchase and the kitchen and dining room had cracks within a year of completion. 

Under the 'Lack of provision of gender specific hostels', CAG observed a total of 8,023 boys and 3,477 girls enrolled in sports hostels across the state during the years 2019-2024.

"The Karnataka Evaluation Authority's October 2020 report reccomended establishing seperate ladies hostels and gender-specific facilities at training centres. The absence of such, hinders female athletes' participation due to safety concerns and limits the opportunities. However, no action in this regard was found taken by the DYES till date," noted CAG.