HC seeks govt reply on Worli stadium redevelopment

“After the redevelopment,the stadium,which was earlier 3.5 lakh square feet,has been reduced to a substantially-smaller ground thus making it impossible for sports activities to be held there,” the petitioners have contended.

As per the sanctioned development plan of 2001,the stadium,earmarked as a recreational ground,came under the Green Zone category,the PIL states. “The NSCI has usurped the land under the guise of redevelopment. The club has constructed two buildings in the stadium,entry to which is allowed only for their members,” the petition states.

The petitioners have sought demolition of the stadium and an order to the BMC to restore the ground to its original form. The PIL has also demanded an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation. Justice Ranjana Desai and Justice RG Ketkar have asked the govenrment to file its reply in two weeks.

The NSCI courted controversy in 2007 when the cost of the premier sports body¿s under-construction indoor stadium skyrocketed from Rs 40 crore in 2001 to Rs 190 crore in 2007. The alleged financial misappropriation by the NSCI,which is on a 50-year lease from the BMC,began in 2001. Raj Peshori,whom the club had appointed as principal architect,inducted leading architect Shashi Prabhu as partner in the project estimated to cost Rs 40 crore. Additional FSI and escalation of prices led to the cost spiraling to Rs 190 crore.