Soon after the speculations of Noida stadium getting privatised got rife, the residents along with members of District Olympic Association decided to protest against the decision of the Noida Authority.
According to Surender Nagar, president of Olympic Association and former MP of Gautam Budh Nagar, said, “If the stadium gets privatized then people will have to pay on every visit. The Noida stadium is public property. It should be free from any entrance fee.”
“The stadium was part of the Noida plan. The objective behind making the stadium was to promote sports in the city. It was also thought that Ranji and IPL matches will also be played in the stadium. But, the conditions of the ground are such that it does not host those matches. The Authority spent Rs 83 crore on the construction of the stadium with a seating capacity of 25,000.” said Nagar.
We will meet Alok Tandon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Noida Authority, to discuss the issue and find out a solution to this. If the decision is not reversed then we will raise the issue in Rajya Sabha. We are also mulling legal route to find a solution to the problem,” said Nagar who is also a Rajya Sabha MP.
Anirudh Sharma (32), a resident of sector 30, said, “I visit the stadium on a regular basis to play badminton. If the Noida Authority gives the stadium in private hand then there will be a hike on the sports facility fee which is not good at all.”
Gulshan Singh, a resident of sector 12, said, “I regularly visit stadium for jogging. It is sad that we will have to pay for jogging. I wonder why Noida Authority built this place. First, Authority spent public money to construct this and now authority wants more money in their pocket.”
“If there will be an entrance fee then I will never visit the stadium for jogging. Instead, I will use another place,” Singh added.
