In U-turn, Maharashtra government brings back local netas as heads of sport complexes

Mumbai: Within months of replacing MLAs and guardian ministers with administrative officers to head sports complex committees due to cost escalations and delays, the state govt, in a U-turn, has brought back the local netas. A new government resolution (GR) has scrapped the Oct 2025 provision to appoint administrative officers as heads of district sports committees.In Oct 2025, following the cost escalation of over Rs 300 crore on 18 sports complexes, the sports department, then headed by minister Manikrao Kokate, approved a change in the structure of sports complex committees to remove "political interfence".
In Dec 2025, Kokate resigned after a Nashik court issued arrest warrants for him and his brother Vijay in the 1995 EWS housing quota cheating case. His portfolios were allocated to deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar.Officials said that under the state sports policy, which was approved in 2001, the govt decided to build 426 sports complexes in 10 divisions, 36 districts, and 380 talukas. "Till date, only 165 complexes have been built. During the first term of the Mahayuti govt, the sports committees were restructured in 2016. Accordingly, it was decided to appoint local MLAs as the presidents of taluka sports complexes and guardian ministers as the presidents of district and divisional complexes," an official said."Funds were approved for the sports complexes, but local MLAs insisted on building the complexes at sites of their choice. When things didn't go their way, the MLAs stopped attending the committee meetings and 261 sports complexes were stalled for several years. Kokate, who was then the sports minister, restructured the committees. Under this, the taluka sports committee was handed over to local officials, district sports complex to the district collector, and the divisional sports complex to the divisional commissioner. Several MLAs, mostly from rural areas, were affected by Kokate's decision," the official explained.Officials said the chairperson and member-secretary are authorised to approve financial transactions for the construction of sports complexes. "Before 2016, local MLAs were only invited members in sports complex committees, but in February 2016, they were made heads of the committees. In August 2020, guardian ministers were appointed to head sports complex committees at the divisional and district levels in place of the divisional commissioner and the district collector, respectively. So, delays by the netas in approving funds were leading to massive delay and cost escalation in the construction of sports complexes," the official said.