One year on, Shyama Prasad stadium lease awaits bank guarantee

Panaji: A year after the state cabinet gave its approval for the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee stadium to be leased out to Mumbai-based Dome Entertainment Private Pvt Ltd for 10 years, the Sports Authority of Goa (SAG) says that while the letter of acceptance has been issued to the firm, the bank guarantee is awaited.

The information obtained through RTI also shows that the department has no plans to give any other stadium or sports complex on lease.

“Letter of acceptance has been issued to the bidder with a request to submit bank guarantee. The same is awaited,” said the department in response to the RTI request.

The deal is expected to earn govt revenue of about Rs 25.5 lakh every month. While justifying the move, chief minister Pramod Sawant said that govt earns just Rs 1.8 crore from the stadium and spends around Rs 2 crore on power consumption.

File notings obtained through RTI show that the sports department raised a concern about a dispute between SAG and Goa University over the engagement of a private operator to manage and operate the stadium.

“At this juncture, outsourcing Dr Shyma Prasad Mukherjee stadium to private party for hosting non-sportive event will hamper sports standards in the state of Goa,” said the file noting. The note was made prior to the cabinet sanction for the leasing of the stadium for 10 years.

The department note also said that an MoU should be signed between Goa University and SAG before the stadium is given to the private party.

However, Sawant has pointed out that large tracts of land were acquired for Goa University but the land remains unutilised and thus “Goa University has no locus standi” on the matter.

The Shyama Prasad Mukherjee stadium, the first indoor sports facility of international standards in the State, was built back in 2013-14 for the purpose of hosting the Lusofonia and National Games back in 2013-14.