CAG Audit Exposes Poor Infrastructure At Gachibowli Sports Facilities

Sports infrastructure at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Training Centre and stadium in Gachibowli has come under scrutiny following a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) inspection that revealed severely deteriorated facilities, including cracked athletic tracks and neglected grounds.

The CAG inspection, conducted between December 2022 and February 2023 and released recently, highlighted that the archery ground at the Gachibowli centre was choked with thick, high vegetation and littered with waste. Two synthetic athletic tracks under STC Hyderabad were also found to be worn out, cracked, and suffering from waterlogging at multiple spots, rendering them unfit for use.

Athletes training at the facility noted that the 400-metre synthetic track inside Gachibowli Stadium was laid nearly 24 years ago and has not undergone any major upgrade since. The poor state of the surface has forced athletes to travel to other locations, including Gopichand Academy for short-distance running and Kokapet for long-distance training, to carry out their routine sessions.

Asian Games bronze medalist Agasara Nandini pointed out that hosting private events inside the stadium worsened the track conditions due to stage installations. She noted that while synthetic tracks require periodic renovation every five to ten years, the Gachibowli track had not received a major overhaul in over two decades.

In its response to the audit findings, SAI stated that the facilities at STC Hyderabad were roughly 20 years old. The agency explained that the fields of play did not fall under its direct control and that the memorandum of understanding with the state government did not facilitate major capital investments such as track re-laying. SAI also noted that the grounds were occasionally rented out for private events, which led to littering and waste accumulation.

The audit also revealed that equipment worth Rs 1.7 crore was lying idle across 12 SAI units due to space constraints, discipline closures, excess procurement, or manpower shortages, while 206 coaches were posted at centres where their services were not effectively utilised.

Officials from the Sports Authority of Telangana stated that a proposal to upgrade the Gachibowli stadium track is currently undergoing the tendering process. The renovated track is expected to be ready by March next year.