Closed Raipur ice-skating rink to go on PPP mode

Abhyudaya Kotnala

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 8 

Built at a cost of Rs 55 crore, the state Sports Department has published a notice  to give the Raipur ice-skating rink on the public private partnership (PPP) mode. The rink was constructed at Maharana Pratap Sports College, Raipur, near here, in 2010 to attract sportspersons from all over India. However, it has turned into a white elephant for the department due to its high maintenance cost. The pathetic condition of the rink can be understood by the fact that till now only four events had been held here. The last one was the Asian Hockey Championship held in 2012. Since then, the ultra modern ice-skating rink is closed and costly machines are lying unused. The department also made a plan to start a training centre at the rink but to no avail, as they failed to attract a sufficient number of sportspersons. 

Currently, the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium and the Sports Complex Society are handling the maintenance of the rink but the careless attitude of officials of the society has made the condition more pathetic. Now, the state is looking forward to hosting the 2018 National Games. The department was worried about the condition of the rink, after which it decided to do away with the Sports Complex Society and gave the tender for the rink maintenance on the PPP mode with a hope to cover some of losses and also earn revenue from it.       

“The department has published a notice for giving ice-skating rink on the PPP mode on  May 30, so that the maintenance of the building and machines can be managed,” said Ajay Aggrawal, Deputy Director, Sports.