KAMAREDDY: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has flagged wasteful expenditure of Rs 2.32 crore on sports infrastructure in Telangana, citing delays, poor supervision and financial mismanagement. They were envisioned as centres of aspiration — stadiums where young athletes could train and compete. Instead, several projects now stand incomplete.
The report, tabled in the Assembly during the recent Budget session, noted that administrative approvals for stadiums were granted without financial concurrence, extensions of time were not properly sanctioned, contractor payments were delayed, and oversight by higher authorities was inadequate. As a result, multiple stadium projects were abandoned mid-way.
The audit traced the origins of the initiative to April 2013, when the undivided Andhra Pradesh government proposed stadiums in every Assembly constituency. Between 2015 and 2019, approvals were granted for 105 stadiums, subject to land availability. An examination of records of the Sports Authority of Telangana State (SATS) showed that, as of March 2023, 52 projects were completed, 42 not taken up, six were in progress, one was under litigation, and four were abandoned.
In Kamareddy district, a greenfield stadium at Bichkunda, sanctioned at Rs 2.10 crore, stalled due to delays in land handover and payments. Work stopped in 2018 after Rs 82.87 lakh was spent. An additional Rs 1.17 crore is now required for completion.
Similarly, a mini stadium at Domakonda, estimated at Rs 1.87 crore, saw work worth Rs 85.55 lakh completed before halting in 2018. Completion would now require Rs 1.98 crore, rendering earlier expenditure unproductive. At Narayanakhed, a mini stadium project initiated in 2013 was later shifted to Jukkal in Kamareddy. Work stopped in 2018 due to non-payment of bills, and the contract was cancelled in 2020, leaving Rs 20.20 lakh wasted.
An indoor stadium at Choutuppal in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district, approved at Rs 1.25 crore, remained incomplete despite deadline extensions. The project was eventually abandoned in 2022, resulting in a loss of Rs 43.68 lakh. The CAG observed that these failures defeated the objective of strengthening sports infrastructure and highlighted the need for stricter financial discipline and project monitoring.