Thanks to the scheduled National Council meet of the BJP on Saturday, the Jawahar lal Nehru indoor stadium in the Capital has got a makeover. Having remained in a state of neglect for four years since the Commonwealth Games, the sporting facility has been undergoing repair and maintenance work on a war footing as a host of dignitaries including Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting the venue on Saturday.
The day-long National Council meet will commence at 10 am and will last till evening. The meeting will be attended by all Cabinet Ministers, BJP MPs, party MlAs from States and other senior functionaries.As preparations are underway, the broken pathways and the interiors of the venue are being repaired. Further, the false ceiling of the stadium that had begun falling over the years for want of maintenance is also being fixed.
Sources said efforts are being made to give the venue a renovated look as country’s top political leadership would be visiting the place. Thy said the interiors of the building were visibly wrecked and there were complaints of water seepage through the ceiling. The pipes and wires which are supposed to be inside the false ceiling were found exposed that could pose threat to the visitors. A Delhi BJP leader said the indoor stadium was identified as the meeting venue so that possible rains do not play spoilsport.
It is noteworthy that the indoor stadium was constructed as part of the massive renovation of the Jawahar lal Nehru Stadium for the Commonwealth Games. The Government spent a whopping Rs900 crore for redevelopment of the stadium which hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the CWG in 2010. However, since then the sporting facility has been lying unattended and craving for upkeep. The stadium, located at Bhishma Pitamah Marg in South Delhi, is maintained by the NBCC. The Ministry of Sports sanctions nearly Rs 50 crore each year for the upkeep of stadiums, out of which Rs 12 crore is released for the maintenance of JlN Stadium alone.
Meanwhile, the Delhi BJP said largescale preparations are being made for nearly 2,500 guests. Delhi BJP president Satish Upadhyay said this would be the first National Council meeting after election of Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister and elevation of Amit Shah as the BJP national president. South Delhi MP Ramesh Bidhuri, who is supervising over the preparations, said the dignitaries from the States would be made to stay in the State guest houses, MP flats and various hotels.