Team Herald
sports@herald-goa.com
MAPUSA: For the last five years it has been seen that every year without fail money has been allotted in the budget for the development of international standard facility for the National Games.
From 2014 till date a total amount of a whopping Rs 757.30 crore has been allotted by the State for the development of infrastructure but the question is where has this money gone. Till date not a single facility listed for the National Games has been created or refurbished.
Besides this, the State government has also already received an additional amount of Rs 97.80 crore from the Central government. This raises the tally of the funds in hand to Rs 855.10 cr and yet the authorities seem to be lamenting over the lack of funds.
Two years ago, the then sports minister Ramesh Tawadkar had made known that the total expenditure for the Games is estimated at Rs. 626.15 crore. This includes cost of creation of new projects (Rs 182.22 crore), expenditure for constructing temporary venues (Rs 10 crore), cost of organising games (Rs 180 crore) and accommodation for athletes (Rs 150 crore).
While the State government will refurbish six venues at an estimated cost of Rs 103.93 crore, these venues include Campal Sports Complex, indoor hall, administrative building at Campal, Campal open ground, Ponda Sports Complex, swimming pool, Fatorda and Tilak Maidan, Vasco.
The General Secretary of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) Rajeev Mehta informed Herald that the Goa government has informed him that the National Games will be held from March 30 to April 14, 2019.
In the last five years, the only thing, this government has done is sort for postponement of the Games and despite the postponement there is no infrastructure is place. The question is where has the money allotted been spent and why does the authorities claim they need more funds.
