3 city organisations join hands to save Kasturchand Park

NAGPUR: Nagpur District Football Association (NDFA) and Khalasi Line Krida Prabodhini (KLKP) have joined Parivartan-The Citizens’ Forum to salvage the historical Kasturchand Park ground from the clutches of exploitation by businessmen and gross neglect by district administration and bring back the sporting activity on it.
Speaking to media men here on Saturday, Dinesh Naidu of Parivartan, Sheel Naidu of NDFA and Keshav Lavatre of KLKP said that KP ground is the only non-privately owned play ground in central Nagpur and residents of nearby areas are fully dependent on this ground for their sporting activities.
“But since last few years, this ground has been turned into an exhibition centre with the Nazul department giving it on rent very frequently. During large exhibitions, there are almost 150 vendors and exhibitors stay at the ground itself and these people deface the ground,” he said.
The vendors and their staff openly defecate around the boundary of the ground as there is not a single toilet in this mammoth ground.
The exhibitors start construction a few weeks before the commencement of the exhibition and take few weeks after the end of exhibition to remove their temporary structures, while they only pay rent of the exhibition period, thus putting the district administration at huge revenue loss, they alleged.
There is no compulsion on the exhibitors to hand over the ground in proper condition and it is surprising to know that the district administration only keeps Rs 3,000 as security deposit from the exhibitors for handing over the ground in proper condition.
A joint delegation of all the three associations has met resident deputy collector Pramod Bhusari and apprised him about the situation.
Demanding ban of exhibitions on KP ground, they urged Bhusari to earmark half of the ground for sporting activity. They also demanded that a large toilet complex should be built on pay and use basis. Besides, they also demanded deployment of three security guards at the ground.