Mumbai: Favoritism at Andheri Sports Complex, alleges BJP lawmaker, ‘local residents face inconvenience’

BJP MLA Ameet Satam with local residents at Andheri Sports Complex. Pic/Twitter@BJP4Mumbai

Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) MLA Ameet Satam on Tuesday said that the Andheri Sports Complex is being misused, alleging the ground is being used for film shootings and reserved for Mumbai City AFC while the local residents are facing inconvenience.

The local lawmaker accompanied by the BMC officials and local residents inspected the Andheri Sports Complex on Tuesday.

After his visit, Satam said, "It has been noticed that to favour a particular contractor to maximize his profit at the Andheri Sports Complex, he is causing trouble and inconvenience to the local residents."

Satam in his letter to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) chief Iqbal Singh Chahal pointed out irregularities and misuse of the sports complex.

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"There has to be rethinking done as to whether the ground should be reserved only for football as this complex was first made with the idea of a multipurpose sports utility for poor, lower middle class and middle-class Mumbaikars. The ground is not used for football for more than 30 days in a year and for around 30 days for shooting. Secondly, the ground is reserved for the use of Mumbai City football club at the behest of some political powers from Oct to March. Hence even though we have to reserve this ground for football, it should be made open to all poor and middle-class footballers from the entire city (as per the code of conduct laid by BMC) and not only for the elite few. The booking should be made online," Satam said in the letter.

He also pointed out that walkers were prohibited from using the ground for 120 days in a year whenever football matches and shootings take place.

Satam further said that the rates of the swimming pool, at the sports complex, are not in line with the rates of BMC and they should be made at par with BMC rates. "There are also some maintenance issues with respect to the pool like quality of water and broken tiles which should be sorted in a month's time," Satam's letter read.

The MLA also alleged that a contractor, whose term has ended, rents out the hall for weddings, sports courts and 28 rooms inside the complex. "A fresh transparent bidding process should be initiated only for the hall and the booking of play courts and rooms should be done online directly by BMC," Satam added.