Legal curbs lifted, Maya Govt wastes no time, razes stadium

Mon, May 12 02:52 AM

Two days after it informed the Supreme Court about the withdrawal of a petition challenging the state decision to carry out demolition or new construction at the Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar Stadium in Lucknow's Gomti Nagar, the Mayawati government moved swiftly, choosing Sunday to bulldoze the stadium which produced cricketers like R P Singh and Suresh Raina.

By evening, most sections of the cricket hostel, pavilion, swimming pool and other structures had been razed to the ground. Demolition work was to continue through the night and was expected to be over by Monday morning. Deputy Director of Sports Anil Kumar Banuda said the debris would be cleared within the next 24 hours.

UP Principal Secretary, Sports, Sudhir Kumar said the stadium was being demolished on court orders. But he conceded he was yet to get its certified copy. "I will be able to comment only after receiving a certified copy of the court order on Monday," he said. Asked why was the Government in such hurry to demolish the stadium without receiving a certified copy of the order, he said, "I will be able to answer this question on Monday."

The stadium was inaugurated on April 15, 1997 by Mayawati during her second stint as Chief Minister. It had cost close to Rs 100 crore. After she became CM for the fourth time in May last year, Mayawati's Government decided in August to demolish the stadium, spread over 25 acres, and merge the land with the Ambedkar Samajik Parivartan Sthal. The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court had stayed the demolition. Challenging the order of the High Court, the state Government had moved the Supreme Court.

Last Friday, all legal curbs on the Mayawati Government with regard to any demolition/construction to be carried out at the Ambedkar Park were removed after the Supreme Court was informed that one of the petitioners, on whose plea the High Court had restrained the state, had withdrawn his petition.

The counsel for UP Government informed a Bench comprising Justices H K Sema and Markandeya Katju that one of the petitions, out of a batch of about seven-eight cases before the HC, had been withdrawn. Acting on this submission, the SC ordered that all interim orders passed in the petition before the apex court stood "discharged".

Besides cricket, the stadium had training facilities for basketball, table-tennis, badminton, swimming and tennis. Its demolition has left the sportsmen unhappy. Former Ranji and Duleep Trophy player Ashok Bambi said: "It was a sports centre and should have remained for the sportspersons. There is little use of constructing a stadium at some place away from the city. What about the children who came here daily for practice?"

Coach of the UP cricket team and former Ranji player Ashish Winston Zaidi said he wanted the Government to build a better stadium in its place.

Asked about the future of the inmates of the sports hostel, Sudhir Kumar said they would be shifted to Green Park hostel, Kanpur. "But a final decision will be taken only after proper discussions and meetings. It could take two or three days or two or three weeks also," he said.

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