Asianet NewsableAsianet Newsable

Stadium misuse: 'Transferring IAS couple sent a strong message'

Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur said the message that had been sent across is that such facilities are meant for sportspersons. 

Stadium misuse Transferring IAS couple sent a strong message, says Anurag Thakur
Author
Pune, First Published May 28, 2022, 4:51 PM IST

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has sent a strong message by transferring the IAS couple over their alleged misuse of a sports stadium in the national capital, Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur said while slamming the Delhi administration over its inaction.

The minister said the message that had been sent across is that such facilities are meant for sportspersons. 

Also Read: Depressed over mother's death, man dumps BMW worth Rs 1.3 cr in Cauvery River

The remarks came while the minister was inaugurating the Khashaba Jadhav Sports Complex inside the Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) campus.

He noted that grounds and facilities are made for sportspersons. Touching upon the incident in Delhi's Thyagraj stadium, Thakur termed as unfortunate the scenario where an IAS officer and his wife were using the stadium, while the sportspersons were kept outside. 

The minister claimed that the Delhi government did not take any action against them. But Union Home Minister (Amit Shah) and the department took action and transferred them to send across a strong message that stadiums are meant for sportspersons, he said.

"There should be rules and they should be followed. Let everyone play, but professional athletes should be given preference. There should be no political interference," the minister said. 

The IAS couple, Sanjeev Khirwar and Anu Dugga were transferred to Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh, respectively, following media reports about the misuse of facilities at Thyagraj Stadium by them. Khirwar had been posted as Principal Secretary (Revenue) in the national capital.

Hailing the government's commitment to promoting sports in the country, Thakur said that the Modi government had increased the sports budget by three times in the last eight years. He further said that 1000 centres of Khelo India will be established in the country. 

Terming cinema and sports as the soft powers of India, he said sportspersons from across the globe see Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacting with sportspersons, most recently with the Thomas Cup-winning badminton players, and encouraging them.

Also Read: 3000 clerics gather in UP's Deoband; discuss Islamophobia, hate in India

Follow Us:
Download App:
  • android
  • ios