Ranchi: A portion of the aluminium-plywood roof protector of Harivansh Tana Bhagat Indoor Stadium at Hotwar mega sports complex came crashing on Monday noon, heavily damaging an SUV parked near its entrance.
No one was fortunately injured in the freak accident, but security guards at the sprawling complex are now having second thoughts about their duty posts.
According to a guard, the victim SUV belongs to the state industries department. "An official had come for work. We don't know his name. The driver was luckily not in the car. He was inside the stadium," the guard said, adding that the loud thud could be heard even 200 metres away. "The SUV's roof was crushed on impact."
Another source at the stadium claimed such accidents were becoming a regular affair, indicating how shoddy upkeep was. "A week ago, a portion of a granite slab near Tower One collapsed, injuring a couple of caretakers and cleaners. A fatal mishap is only a matter of time," he said, adding that many stadiums still had broken glass panes and defunct toilets, among other problems.
The Jharkhand State Sports Promotion Society (JSSPS), a joint venture of the sports department and Central Coalfields (CCL) formed to set up academies, is in charge of the mega sports complex. The final phase of selection trials for new cadets began on March 18 and the new session will commence in April.
Department insiders said roughly Rs 15 crore was allocated annually for maintenance of the stadium complex.
Alok Kumar, CEO of the local management committee of JSSPS, wasn't aware of Monday's mishap, but said they were working to hire an agency for proper civil maintenance.
"Yes, many things have to be fixed or repaired both inside and outside stadiums and we are in the process of hiring an agency. Work will begin very soon on the ground to put things back in order," he added.