(Top) Debris left behind by TV crew in a changing room and (below) the state of the hockey ground. (Gopal Senapati)

In 1991, Jyoti Basu, the then chief minister, designated a 56-acre area in Dumurjola to be developed into a sports complex. But the Howrah Indoor Stadium has been the only prominent construction on the plot in all these years.

The indoor stadium, which was inaugurated in 1998, holds the dubious distinction of hosting more TV game shows than sporting events. The Table Tennis State Championship in 1999 was the last sporting event of any importance held on the premises. If that’s dismal, the condition of the rest of the sports complex is worse.

Metro runs a check. The indoor stadium

Playing area: The stadium is rented out for Rs 16,000 a day, much less than what many nondescript marriage halls charge. And the offer is lapped up by producers of TV shows. Sometimes, the hall is even booked for marriage receptions.

A couple of weeks back, the stadium was a jungle of plywood, cables and carpenters. Huge props were being constructed under a false ceiling. “The real ceiling leaks when it rains. The producers of the finale of a reality show had to put up a false ceiling,” said an employee of the Howrah Municipal Corporation (HMC), which owns the stadium.

The entire wooden floor of the playing area had been taken up for the shoot. Portions of it were covered by plywood but these weren’t enough to prevent the precious flooring — meant to be soft on the feet of basketball, badminton, volleyball and table tennis players — from being damaged.

The gallery: The plastic chairs in the 3,000-seater stadium have never been changed since it was inaugurated, said insiders. The 240 orange VIP chairs used to have black foam seats and backrests. Very few of these add-ons are in place today.

Power-less: The stadium had come up at a cost of Rs 2.8 crore, according to records, but the HMC could not find the money to electrify the ground. Inexplicably, even 13 years after the inauguration of the stadium, nothing has been done about it.

In the early years, a wrestling tournament and a badminton tournament were held at the venue with temporary electricity connections. “It’s no wonder that sporting events are rarely held here,” said an HMC employee. “Since most sports bodies are cash-strapped, they can ill afford to hire the 30 heavy-duty generators that are required. But that’s not a problem with TV producers.”

Other facilities: Facilities like changing rooms and coaches’ rooms are used by TV crews to dump all kinds of material, such as spools of cables, clothing and bamboo shafts.

“The workers inside the stadium enjoy all the facilities while boys and girls who play in various registered clubs can’t use them,” said Dibyendu Nag, the coach of the hockey training centre at the adjoining sports complex.

To make matters worse, the TV teams leave the stadium in a mess after each shoot.

Outside the stadium

The area around the stadium has small puddles and a pond. “This is low-lying land. Water easily accumulates,” said an official of the Swamiji Sangha, which has a pool where 900 boys and girls swim.

Metro found the pond swarming with schools of fish. In the absence of supervision, the water is changed only once a year, said the authorities. “There is no regularity at all in cleaning or maintenance. But since there’s no other pool nearby, we have no choice but to bring our children here,” said Trishita Munshi, whose six-year-old son Ayush has been training there for 3 years.

There are 18 registered clubs that train youngsters in hockey, football, athletics, kho-kho, cricket and badminton, clinging on to patches of green around the puddles. “We had spent a lot last November to prepare our field for an age-group, state-level tournament but soon after that was the Howrah Utsav. When we got back our field, it was time for the elections and officials started parking cars on the greens,” complained Nag.

Anything but sports: Portions of the complex are used for non-sporting ventures. There are at least two mechanics’ shops — one for heavy vehicles and one for cars — on the premises. Rows of rusty vehicles are parked on the complex. There are also numerous tea stalls and other shops.

Minister voice

Sports minister Madan Mitra, who visited the stadium on July 2, said: “The place is not fit for sports, only shooting. I will take up the matter in a cabinet meeting and think up a plan to revive the stadium. Close to Rs 50 crore will be needed to renovate it.”