VISAKHAPATNAM: The Indira Priyadarshini Municipal Stadium, located in the Old Town, which has once hosted international cricket matches, including a World Cup tie in 1996, is now no more than a dumping yard for the city garbage.Over 60 per cent of the stadium literally stinks, especially in the rainy season, due to water-logging.For want of no other place, the district administration is using the stadium as an accommodation for a CRPF battalion.Forget keeping the stadium clean and fit for playing sports, the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) seems to have completely ignored it.Following the construction of the ACA-VDCA cricket stadium amidst picturesque surroundings at the foothills of the Eastern Ghats at PM Palem at a cost of around `20 crore in 2003, the VDCA left the muncipal stadium in the hands of the GVMC.Past Glory BCCI had asked VDCA if it could have a stadium ready for a three-day match against the visiting West Indian team in 1987.The VDCA took it up as a challenge, and with the support of the then mayor DV Subba Rao, who himself was a cricket buff, built the stadium within three months.This is second stadium in the state that put the city on the international map.Never before December 18, 1987, did the Vizagites dream of seeing the great calypso swagger of Vivian Richards in flesh and blood.The first international threeday match was played in this stadium between Richardsled West Indies and the Anshuman Gaekwad-led Board President’s XI from December 18 to 20.The three-day match was a pre-requisite for hosting an ODI.Whose Responsibility is It? After the VDCA shrugged off the responsibility of the municipal stadium, the district olympic association and the district sports associations stepped in.But they sought a site at Mudarsalova to set up a sports stadium.The GVMC, which owns the stadium, gave the stadium to a CRPF battalion following a request from the District Police in 2006 for two months.Now, it has been five years and the battalion is still stationed there.The CRPF doesn’t pay rent to the GVMC which, inturn, doesn’t allocate funds to maintain the stadium.When contacted, Commissioner of GVMC, B Ramanjaneyulu threw the ball into the CRPF court and said because of CRPF, the GVMC was not attending to the stadium’s maintenance.
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