Fire tender at National Stadium — to water hockey turf

Uthra G Chaturvedi

The question of who runs New Delhi’s showpiece National Stadium isn’t quite the burning issue of Indian sport, and yet it is serious enough for a fire tender to be called in on a daily basis.

A big red truck has been parked at the stadium during the ongoing Nehru Hockey Tournament, while organisers drag long rubber pipes around the playing area, watering the astro-turf pitch. Tournament organisers complain that Unity Infraprojects, the company that got the contract to upgrade the stadium for the Commonwealth Games, does not allow the use of sprinklers, claiming it hasn’t been paid its dues. Sports Authority of India, which is responsible for the stadium’s upkeep, blames the Central Public Works Department for the problem.

But this means that not only do organisers have to physically water the turf using pipes, they also have to pay for the unusual arrangement of the fire tender.

“We are stuck between SAI and Unity Infraprojects,” said tournament director Kukoo Walia. “The contractor won’t run the sprinklers, saying he is yet to get the completion certificate for the upgradation and part of the payment. As the SAI is yet to take charge of the stadium, so it cannot run the sprinklers. Meanwhile, the game and the players suffer.” National Stadium administrator Uma Dutta said, “We also feel bad for the players. This is one of the oldest hockey tournaments in the country but I cannot do anything. I have tried to sort out the issue on a temporary basis but it hasn’t worked.”

A SAI official washed his hands of the problem. “We can take charge only after the completion certificate is issued. The sub-contract was given by CPWD and they have to issue the certificate,” the official said.

Interestingly, despite the claims of not having taken formal charge of the venue, the SAI rented the turf to Nehru Hockey Society for Rs 10,000 a day. “We are spending around Rs 25,000 daily for use of the turf, rooms and services. But we are not getting the most basic of facilities,” Walia said.

Nehru Hockey is one of the most eagerly awaited tournaments on the domestic circuit with stars like Dhanraj Pillay, Deepak Thakur, Adrian D’Souza and Prabhjot Singh playing.