PMC plan to reward eminent sportspersons fails to take off

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on Friday admitted to its failure to implement the 37 proposals that it approved to give financial rewards to meritorious sportspersons related to the city since 2009.

The members of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) raised the issue during the general body meeting.

Deputy municipal commissioner Suresh Jagtap told the house that between 2009 and 2011, the civic body had okayed 25 proposals of rewards totalling Rs55.34 lakh. It has cleared 12 proposals worth Rs20.49 lakh for the current financial year 2011-12.

But the deserving sportspersons are yet to get the money.

The statistics revealed by the administration has hit the authorities hard as it is already facing flak for giving false promises of rewards to sportspersons.

The PMC's proposal to give a flat to markswoman and Commonwealth Games (CWG) double gold medallist Anisa Sayyed is not implemented till August, 2011.

The standing committee had cleared the original proposal in October 2010, and it is waiting the state government's approval.
Sayyed had told DNA, "After winning the medals, I was promised an apartment by the PMC, along with cash prize. Even the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) had promised some cash prize. We don't know the status of the prizes with the PMC yet. When we tried to call the PCMC, we were told that because I was felicitated by the Maharashtra government, I won't be receiving the prize now."

A PMC office-bearer had told DNA that the flat that the civic body allocates to deserving persons is of 350 square feet area.

Considering the stature of the sportswoman, it was proposed to give her two adjoining flats with a total area of 700 square feet. As the civic body does not have the authority to give two flats, the proposal was forwarded to the state government last month for approval.