SAI reduces stadium rentals in Capital by 40-50%

The Delhi Government, in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, has announced a substantial reduction in the booking charges of major stadiums in the city to encourage live events and concerts.

The Sports Authority of India (SAI) has lowered stadium rental rates by about 40-50 per cent.

Delhi Minister for Art, Culture, Languages and Tourism Kapil Mishra said the decision supports Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of turning Delhi into a centre for live entertainment and the concert economy.

“High booking rates had been a major hurdle, forcing organisers to move big events to cities such as Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Gurugram and Noida. After discussions with Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and two-round tables with industry representatives, this decision has been finalised,” Mishra said.

Earlier on 2 September, Mishra met Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya to discuss advancing the vision of making Delhi a ‘Global Event Hub.’ He was accompanied by senior representatives from the Event and Entertainment Management Association (EEMA) and the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) for his meeting.

According to the revised rates, the booking charges of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (JLN) main arena for non-sports events like music concerts, art and poetry festivals, or other events, have been reduced from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 25 lakh per day.

Overall, the booking cost of JLN stadium for one day, including the venue and the outer space, was Rs 71.8 lakh. It has now been reduced to around Rs 50 lakh per day.

For the Indira Gandhi stadium, the organisers were paying Rs 20 lakh, including electricity and other consumption charges, which has now been revised to Rs 16 lakh.

The booking charge of Jadhav Wrestling Stadium has been revised to Rs 6 lakh per day for the main area, while the booking price for the entire stadium, including halls, rooms, venues and other spaces, is near Rs 37 lakh.

The reduced rates came in force with immediate effect, a letter from SAI stated.