Kannur Mayor T.O. Mohanan has said that allegation by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] that the Jawahar Stadium here is being neglected is politically motivated and intended to tarnish the image of the Corporation.
His statement comes in the wake of the CPI(M) deciding to take out a march demanding protection of the stadium on Thursday. The party had on Tuesday accused the Corporation of turning the ground into a dumping yard and a space for parking vehicles used for transporting garbage.
The stadium became a bone of contention after the Corporation council decided to withhold ₹25,000 given as reserve fund by the CPI(M) for using the ground for the 23 rd Party Congress.
CPI(M) district secretary M.V. Jayarajan countered the council’s decision alleging that the Corporation had not been maintaining or developing the ground. He also alleged that ₹10.64 crore sanctioned by the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) for renovation of the ground was not used for the purpose.
However, the Mayor on Wednesday said the council’s decision to impose fine on the CPI(M) was not politically motivated. He added that the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) was allowed to use the stadium for an event on August 15. Since the DYFI cleaned up the ground after the event, steps are being taken to return the reserve money taken from the organisation.
He clarified that the reported sanctioning of ₹10.64 crore by the KIIFB for the development of the stadium did not come up before the new governing body. Discussions on the matter took place when the CPI(M)‘s E.P. Latha was the Mayor.
The council meeting held on August 3, 2017 during Ms. Latha’s tenure had decided to issue no-objection certificate to the Sports department for carrying out construction work. But the governing body did not sign the agreement as its provisions were against the interests of the Corporation.
Mr. Mohanan said meetings were also held at the Sports Minister’s office in 2018 and 2019, but there was no consensus on the agreement.
The Corporation sought legal advice and sent the approved agreement by Council Resolution No. 46 dated August 3, 2017 to the government. However, the Corporation is yet to get a reply he said, adding that after the new governing body came into existence in December 2020, the matter had been discussed with the Sports Minister twice.
The Mayor said the collectorate ground and the police ground, owned by various government departments charged huge rent, but Jawahar Stadium was spared for sports events free of cost.
He said the Corporation was planning to develop the stadium into a multipurpose facility of international standards.
