Goemkarponn desk
PANAJI: Sports Minister Govind Gaude has assured to look into the matter of money being spent on a baseball field, but the playfield is not visible at Campal.
Gaude stated that the ground was being built long before he was appointed Sports Minister and that he would only be able to provide information after conducting further research.
“Campal’s baseball field was being worked on before I was ordained as a minister.” All of the transactions—including the goods taken and the tenders issued for this—took place prior to my appointment as sports minister. Gaude declared, “I’ve ordered an investigation and spoken to the concerned officials.”
Manohar (Babu) Ajgaonkar, Gaude’s predecessor, stated that any scam should be looked into. It was during his administration that the baseball field was allegedly tendered and funds paid to the contractor.
“Adequate action should be taken if there are any lapses,” Ajgaonkar stated, noting that the Campal baseball field project had in fact begun during his tenure.
With the exception of the playing arena, this baseball field for the National Games was to have all amenities, including spectator seating. As stipulated in the tender, a digital scoreboard was also to be installed.
There is no baseball field at Campal, despite the Sports Authority of Goa (SAG) having paid out a record Rs 2.68 crore.
A consultant was also to be paid an additional Rs 6.94 lakh for technical consultancy services related to the playground’s construction. Out of this, Rs 3.91 lakh have been paid out.
