Sports Department to recover electricity usage charges from Chandigarh cricket association

Deepankar Sharda

Chandigarh, September 13

Even as the UT Sports Department is yet to arrive at a decision on the live telecast of a recently held cricket tournament without permission, the sharing of a single electricity meter with a local sports association at the Sector-16 cricket stadium is another issue that has come to the fore.

Recently, the Sports Department was said to have given permission to the Union Territory Cricket Association (UTCA), Chandigarh, for renovating or expanding a prolific office at the New Media Centre building of the Sector-16 cricket stadium. And the association, without any delay, renovated the office and installed air conditioners and computers, besides other necessary electronic items.

However, till date, the electricity usage charges have been recorded on a single electricity meter that has been allotted to the Sports Department.

The newly renovated office was inaugurated on August 4 by some top officials of the UT Administration. And, to date, no sub-meter has been installed to record the electricity units at the new office run by the cricket association.

As per the information obtained through an RTI application, there is still just one meter in place. “We have already written to the department concerned to perform an electricity consumption assessment. The entire amount (as per commercial rates) will be recovered from the association, after getting clearance from the authorities concerned,” said an official of the Sports Department, seeking anonymity.

“As per the agreement, the association will be paying the electricity and water charges. We have already guided the authorities concerned to install a sub-meter to note their usage, and the process is under way,” added the official. In November 2014, the Sports Department had rented out an office room at the Sector-16 stadium to the UTCA for a monthly rent of Rs 300 per month. However, recently, the lease agreement was updated, and new charges were levied by the department to let the association run their operations from the government building. Currently, the stadium has its own 11-KV sub-station that handles its operations (including the floodlights) without any disruption.