In a meeting chaired by Mayor Keyur Rokadia on Saturday with the sports associations, a resolution was also taken to approach the Sports, Youth, and Cultural Activities Department (SYC) of the state government, seeking additional directors from the elected wing of the VMC for the Vadodara Sports Promotion Foundation (VSPF), formed by the
government for the running and maintenance of recreational infrastructure in the city.

Deputy Mayor Nanda Joshi, VMC standing committee chairman Dr Hitendra Patel, leader of ruling party in VMC Alpesh Limbachya and Municipal Commissioner Shalini Agarwal were present at the meeting with sports associations.

The associations requested the VMC to provide them indoor and outdoor sports facilities at subsidised rates to create spaces for children to learn and pursue sports.

The VMC also discussed the need to repair the athletic track and hockey track in the two sports complexes along with repairing outdated equipment.

The associations also sought that elected representatives, including the mayor, deputy mayor and standing committee chairman, should be included in the VSPF board. The company looks after the functioning of the complexes in association with the Sports Authority of Gujarat.

Rokadia told The Indian Express, “So far, the board of directors comprised only government officials — most of whom are not even located in Vadodara. Who will the local associations or people go to in case of complaints, suggestions, or requests? The upkeep and maintenance of the two sports complexes also have to be done by the government department but we have not received the funds. We will also write to the department to release the funds at the earliest and to include at least two persons from the elected wing of the VMC among the directors to make the functioning smooth.”

VSPF, incorporated in 2015, is classified as a state government company registered with the Registrar of Companies in Ahmedabad.

Its authorised share capital is Rs 10 lakh and paid-up capital is Rs 5 lakh. The five directors include the Municipal Commissioner of Vadodara along with four other government officials from the sports department.