In view of certain members of the public raising doubts about the competency of the Dimapur District Sports Council to maintain the facility and also about utilization of revenue generated from various functions held in the venue, the undersigned, on behalf of the DDSC, wish to make the following statements:
1. The DDSC Stadium, formerly known as Public Ground, is today one of he landmarks in the city. The condition of the same before given this much needed facelift is better left said unsaid. What we are saying is that we found something needed to be done, and we did the best we could. However, this is not the end. We are looking forward to completing the remaining structures besides making the playground as professional as possible, as in the master plane.
2. In regard to the condition of the ground as on date we accept it is far from ideal. There are many reasons why this has happened and not because of our negligence. The main reason being that it was literally taken over by the Security Agencies for the better part of this year and hundreds of their men camped in this facility which is neither equipped nor meant for such use. By the time they left, monsoon has set in and it was not possible to take up maintenance works. It was further damaged during movement of heavy vehicles and construction of temporary stalls during the recently held National Festival and other occasions. The fact is, repairs cannot be undertaken unless the rain stops. Neither can we completely not allow functions in this venue due to lack of an alternative. And the problem gets compounded because civic sense among the users is, sadly, missing.
3. With regard to the proper utilization of funds, it is sufficient to mention that we have received Rs. 1, 60,000/- (Rupees One Lakh Sixty Thousand) only from the Directorate of Youth Resources & Sports till date where as we have disbursed a total amount of Rs. 5, 68,798/- (Rupees Five Lakhs sixty eight thousand seven hundred ninety eight) only toward various sporting activities. This excess payment of Rs.4, 08,798/-(rupees four lakhs eight thousand seven hundred ninety eight) only has been made possible from the revenue generated from the nominal fees charged for holding different functions. This is in addition to routine maintenance, electricity, telephone and miscellaneous expenses covered. State functions and other occasions (which are many) are not charged.
4. We believe all our activities are transparent. Nevertheless we invite interested members of the public to visit our office to verify for themselves by cross checking our cash books, ledgers, files, etc. Our office is open to the public on Tuesdays and Fridays (10:00 A.M. -12 Noon on both days).
While constructive criticisms are always welcome, perhaps we can do little research on the ground realities before pointing fingers at one another. After all, it requires a lot of enthusiasm and motivation to make even a small contribution to the society, but to kill it, even a little unkind word will do.
Nungsang Aier,Secretary (Administration), DSSC
