Residents raises concerns over incomplete 30 million sports facility

Several questions are being raised over the construction of a sporting facility that was estimated
to have cost 30 million. The facility in question is the Aranputa Sport facility, which saw some
thirty million dollars of taxpayers’ dollars being sent to the sports facility. However, reports
reaching www.aroundtheregions.com the features, which was supposed to form part of the
facility when it was completed were never done. The unfinished facility lies with little or no
information as to what will become of it.

Speaking exclusively to this media house, Regional Vice Chairman Bertie Xavier revealed that
this was one of the several burning issues that residents in the community raised with Minister of
Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharmalall recently.
The residents were passionate in their complaint to the Minister and his team, which also
included the Regional Chairman and other senior officials of the RDC. They bemoaned the fact
that the community lacks sports and sought the help of the team to have sports return to the
community. This, residents noted, was a request that they have been making in the past however
little or nothing has been done, they related. The residents disclosed their love for football and
athletics, stressing that with the many negative impact, as a result of COVID, sports is an ideal
opportunity to enhance one’s health and more so, forge a closer social relationship among
residents and families.
“The residents appealed to us to have more sporting activities brought to their village as they
would like to see more advancement in terms of sporting development. This is something that we
intend to seriously address,” the Regional Vice Chairman said.
Xavier disclosed that while the residents are passionate about sports, they prefer poring
disciplines such as football and athletics. He said that a facility was constructed in 2019 but
remains incomplete as only the fence and a sanitary block was done.
“We learnt that a sports facility was built in 2019 but its incomplete as several features that were
supposed to be a part of the facility are missing. As a matter of fact, all that the contractor did
was fencing of the ground and the establishment of a sanitary block, but no other work,” he
maintained
Examining the plan, the Regional Vice Chairman noted a quick review will reveal that several
things are missing. He expressed disappointment, stating that the facility was expected to benefit
residents. He opined that with such actions, residents are being denied what the government had
sought to provide for them.
“Looking at the original proposal you would recognize that several things are missing because
there are no lights. This forms part of the many missing features that should have been included
in the facility. The residents are right in wanting to know how this 30 million was spent and we
intend to ensure that answers are provided as you just can’t collect 30 million and in return give
villagers this as a sporting facility,” he argued.

The Regional Vice Chairman said that Minister Dharmalall heeded the residents call for a full
investigation into this, which he hopes will be done shortly to provide residents with the required
information on how the money was spent.
"I am hoping that indeed the auditors will come to audit these places, so that the monies that
were spent can be accounted for,” Xavier expressed.