It?s back to business at the Basketball Complex
AFTER SEALING the Basketball Complex for breach of lease on December 29, 2005, district administration on Thursday re-opened one of its most valuable treasures on Race Course Road for holding sports and cultural activities.
AFTER SEALING the Basketball Complex for breach of lease on December 29, 2005, district administration on Thursday re-opened one of its most valuable treasures on Race Course Road for holding sports and cultural activities.
In his capacity as the receiver, Nazul Officer Vivek Shrotriya unsealed the complex spread over 1.30 lakh square feet, whose market value is approximately Rs 50 crore.
Of the total, the construction area occupies 1.50 lakh square feet, which includes a five-storeyed building that houses a gymnasium and the posh office of Gujarat Mercantile Credit Sahkarita Limited (GMCSL), OTG Ltd, OTG Global Finance Ltd, OT Gandhi & Company, OT Gandhi & Associates, OTG CATV Channel & Network and Corporation (Area) Basketball Trust, National Basketball Academy and Basketball Club.
In addition to basketball stadium, the receiver unlocked the swimming pool, gymnasium and all offices, except that of GMCSL.
Shrotriya told media persons that his first responsibility would be to assess the liabilities like unpaid electricity and water bills apart from resources. This would be followed by the documentation of both.
Although locked for over nine months, the OTG group office was spotlessly clean when opened, while the basketball stadium was covered with dust. Barring a few computers, stationery was missing in the office. People close to OT Group alleged that the computers and batteries worth Rs 32,000 were sold off from the locked premises two days back.
The Nazul Department had sealed the Complex on the charges that it was being used to run commercial activities. The Department acted after district magistrate Vivek Aggarwal issued an order charging Janak Gandhi, trustee of Basketball Trust, with breach of lease agreement.
The lease inked on January 29, 1993, stood cancelled as a result of Aggarwal’s order. Apart from housing a host of OTG concerns including GMCSL branch offices, the upper floor measuring 7000 square feet was rented to Target Furniture Private Limited run by Shankar Bhai Patel.
Future plans
APART FROM Nazul Department staff, football enthusiasts were also present at Basketball Complex after it was thrown open on Thursday afternoon.
MP Basketball Association president Bhagyawanti Sharma told presspersons that the organisation plans to hold State-level tournament at the Complex from October 19 – 26. “We want to shift basketball practice matches from Nehru Stadium to this place. Our plan is to run basketball activities in an organised manner,” she added.
Former basketball player Avinash Anand informed that Football Federation of India has contacted the Association thrice for holding national tournaments in Indore. “Now that the Complex has been re-opened, we can host it,” he said, and added that the organisation would hold national camp too.
