Date:25/01/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/01/25/stories/2006012522480400.htm

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Suspense on condition of Balayogi Stadium

V V Subrahmanyam

Conflicting versions unfold on the state of the synthetic track after the end of the Congress plenary Conflicting versions unfold on the state of the stadium after the end of the Congress plenary

Sportslovers anxious on knowing how the synthetic track will look after the clean-up exercise
SAAP official confident there will be no damage
Fears expressed over condition of track due to the heavy load

Plea to allow only sporting activity at stadium

THE COVER IS OUT?: Workers on Tuesday dismantling the roofed structure in which the three-day AICC plenary was held at Balayogi Stadium in Gachibowli. - PHOTO: K. RAMESH BABU

HYDERABAD: The show is over and the focus now shifts to a key area of concern. How safe is the Rs.4.5-crore synthetic track at the GMC Balayogi Stadium, venue of the 82nd AICC plenary, which concluded on Monday?

Any visitor to the venue cannot be faulted if he believes that there was never an athletic competition there before. For such is the massive support system of the wooden structure all over on which the huge tent, covering the entire playfield was constructed. One has to don the role of an Alfred Hitchcock to `spot' the synthetic track too! Apparently, sports lovers are anxious to know how exactly the track will be once the entire venue is cleaned off the existing rubble, expected to take about a week after the mega event.

Confident assertion

G.Kamala Vardhana Rao, SAAP Vice Chairman & MD, insists that there will be absolutely no damage as all necessary precautions were taken like first laying a carpet on the entire stretch of the track, then an 18 mm wooden plank spread all over, and on it a 11 mm silver plate and finally on top of that the poles - the vital support system. "We are cent per cent sure that nothing will be damaged since we have taken the advice of the engineering personnel in this regard. More than that, we were informed that the existing protective cover can easily take a load of 5000 tonnes, 25 times more than the 200 kg load on the track now," he explained.

However, K.Ranga Rao, secretary of the Andhra Pradesh Amateur Athletic Association, has his own doubts on the issue. "I still believe that there is scope for damage since the track cannot be expected to take such a load. And more than that, we will have to wait and see how effectively the officials monitor the cleaning-up process. This is crucial as any error can also lead to unexpected damage," he explains.

Primary responsibility

But Kamala Vardhana Rao says they are not so naīve to be complacent. "It is our primary responsibility to see that the venue is restored to its original status, barring of course the existing green cover on the playfield when the venue was handed over for the plenary," he says.

Significantly, it is also pointed out since all the world-class stadia, including GMC Balayogi Stadium, have been insured for Rs.140 crores with a premium of Rs.22 lakhs per annum, they will not be found wanting to take necessary steps to keep the venue in perfect shape for all sporting activity.

Different line

However, there is also another line of argument. For instance, P.R.Mohan, former SAAP chairman, feels it is imperative at least now to come out with a clear-cut policy to ensure that no other activity excepting sports, takes place at any of these venues which cost the exchequer Rs.150 crores for the 2002 National and the 2003 Afro-Asian Games.

For the time being, everyone is keeping their fingers crossed on how the track will look once a clearer picture unfolds at GMC Balayogi Stadium.