A couple of JCBs scraping the earth for a warm-up track at the Karavali ground may give rise to hopes that it will be earmarked for walkers and athletes in the future as announced, but serious doubts are being raised whether the promise really holds water.
Even as the trucks pick up scraped mud and dump it at another corner to level it, preparing the ground for the athletes taking part in the forthcoming National Federation Cup Athletics Meet, sports enthusiasts are not inclined to believe that the administration will be able to stick to the recent decision to reserve the track for walkers.
What worries sports enthusiasts is whether the authorities would be able to shift the annual Karavali Utsav and Exhibition after which the ground is named, or the annual consumer exhibitions and the occasional circuses which pitch their tents on the ground.
Arun Rao, Secretary of Dakshina Kannada Athletics Association, said Karavali Ground is the key source of revenue for maintaining Mangala Stadium, for which the expenditure per month is about Rs. 1 lakh. While the government releases a meagre amount for its maintenance, the authorities rely on the funds generated from the exhibitions which yield a rent of Rs. 15,000 a day. Without this fund, the maintenance plans would go awry.
While Deputy Commissioner A.B. Ibrahim said the administration was exploring the possibilities of allowing exhibitions in such a way that the walking track is kept free, Mr. Arun said it may not be possible to have both exhibitions and walkers’ track on the same ground. K. Thejomaya, former chairman of Mangalore Urban Development Authority, who too expressed doubts whether it would be possible to retain the walkers’ track, said exhibitions and circuses should be held on the nine-acre land at Bangra Kuloor so that the Karavali Ground is reserved for sporting activities.
The only way out, according to Mr. Rao, is that a commercial complex should be build around the Stadium under public-private partnership to generate funds for maintenance as is done in Vijayapura. At present, Mangaluru was the only city in the State that is generating adequate funds for maintenance of its stadium.
Besides the warm track, the ground will get a compound wall, an additional gate on the rear side, and four high mast lamps to illuminate it for the Federation Cup, which is expected to witness participation of 700 athletes in 47 events.
The ground adjoining the Mangala Stadium will have Call Room 1 and Call Room 2, according to Mysore Vasanthakumar, the coordinator for the event and the coach for Government Sports Hostel for Women. The athletes will first report to Call Room 1 and they will keep their kits in Call Room 2.
From here they will be allowed to enter Mangala Stadium with articles such as shoes, that they need to participate in their respective event.
Call Room 2 will also have the facilities for National Anti-Doping Agency officials to obtain samples to conduct the necessary tests to see whether any athletes were under the influence of drugs, he said. The samples are obtained on a random basis.
200 m warm up track
A compound wall with two gates
Four high-mast lamps
Two Call Rooms for athletes
