Pawar rues Balewadi mess

PUNE, June 14: Senior congress leader Sharad Pawar today lamented the sorry state-of-affair'' at the Shiv Chhatrapati sports complex at Ba...

PUNE, June 14: Senior congress leader Sharad Pawar today lamented the 8220;sorry state-of-affair8221; at the Shiv Chhatrapati sports complex at Balewadi and accused the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance government of gross failure in utilising the complex to train young sports persons in Maharashtra.

8220;The multi-crore sport complex is lying unutilised. Whenever I pass by it I only see a board, installed by the State Government, claiming that it intends to start a krida vidyapeeth sports university there. That is all the State has done so far,8221; Pawar said.

The opposition leader at the Lok Sabha was addressing a gathering of wrestlers, who had come from different parts of the State to witness the inauguration of Maharashtra8217;s first ultra modern wrestling complex which has come up on a four-acre plot of land near the Bharti Vidyapeeth, Katraj. Named after Congress leader and wrestler Mamasaheb Mohal, the complex has been established by the Maharashtra Kustigir Parishad.

Inaugurating the complex, Pawar said, 8220;Establishing a sports complex is quite easy. To train sportspersons there is the difficult task.8221;

Elaborating, he recalled that he had taken a lead in establishing the multi-crore sports complex at Balewadi with an objective that it would be used as a training centre for promoting and encouraging the budding sportspersons.

8220;Today, I feel sad. The basic purpose behind establishing the multi-crore complex is being defeated. I hope that the State Government will take note of this,8221; he said adding 8220;the wrestling complex should not meet the same fate.8221;

Pointing out to the officials of the Kustigir Parishad that three-acre of land around the wrestling complex, owned by the parishad was lying vacant, he recommended commercial exploitation of the land. The parishad should establish a marriage or cultural hall and the revenue gained through its rent should be used to provide modern training facilities to the wrestlers, he said.

Story continues below this ad

Gavande8217;s presence
The presence of Shiv Sena MLA and former State sports minister Gulabrao Gavande at the inaugural ceremony raised many a eyebrow.

8220;I am here because I had given the required sanctions to the Kustigir Parishad for establishing this complex. Then, I was the sports minister,8221; Gavande said adding, 8220;Today, I am the export8217; minister.8221;Sharad Pawar intervened to ask 8220;When are the exports arriving in Congress?8221;8220;Just wait for a few days,8221; Gavande said.