KOCHI:
Regional Sports Centre, Kochi has issued a clarification on its functioning following reports that some Olympians have requested the Sports Minister of Kerala to make RSC available to everyone by spreading total falsehood about its functioning.
SAS Navaz. secretary, Regional Sports Centre issued the below clarification.
1. Regional Sports Centre, Cochin (RSC) was established in the year 1979 in four acres of land belong
ing to Kerala State Sports Council (KSSC);
2. It consists of a) Fully Air-conditioned Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium, b) Justice P. Govindan
Nair Indoor Tennis Complex, c) United India Insurance Artificial Turf & Jogging Track and d) RSC Indoor Swimming Pool;
3. District Collector, Ernakulam is its Chairperson and Commissioner of Police, Kochi City is its Pre
sident. Mayor of Kochi City, local MP, local MLA, Chairman GCDA, all the senior officials of the departments of Police, Customs, Central Excise, Income Tax, Kerala State Sports Council, KSEB, KWA, PWD & Corporation of Kochi are members of its Governing Body;
4. Construction of Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium commenced in the year 1986. Since the promised money was not received from KSSC and other government agencies, the construction work got considerably delayed. Finally, as decided by the government, construction cost was raised by way of membership admission fees;
5. The construction cost of the stadium was met mainly by taking a loan of Rs.1.25 crores from HUDCO that was repaid by way of raising funds admitting new members;
6. RSC Membership Admission Fees is only a deposit that can be retrieved after three years by way of transfer. It means that the membership could be sold after three years;
7. All the Olympians and sportspersons who have rendered meritorious service in the International Arena are given free Honorary Membership;
8. Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium of RSC was inaugurated on 19 th December 1993. Cash crunched RSC was not able to carry on with its sports activities then. Slowly & steadily, RSC has created world-class facilities for 24 sports & games events out of which there are 19 round-the- year sports & games academies with more than 600 trainees;
9. Out of the 600 trainees, more than 400 trainees are children of non- members;
10. Besides, RSC also entertains and gives free coaching to deserving children recommended by Kerala State Sports Council, Ernakulam District Sports Council, local MLA, MP & Mayor, Corporation of Kochi;
11. The Summer Coaching Camp conducted by RSC every year attracts more than 2500 children out of which about 500 children are given free coaching;
12. Though RSC is running on a loss, it has a free scheme for the financial weak sportspersons known as the ‘Pradeeksha Scheme’. Th
13. Its theme is ‘Sports for Health, Recreation & Competition’ and gives free access to sportspersons who are serious into competitive sports & games. Only those who wish to take up sports for ‘Health’ and Recreation’ are asked to become members;
14. This membership admission fees is utilized for the development of the infrastructure of RSC which is utilized by sportspersons who are not members;
15. No stadium in this country is open to all and sundry like demanded by the Olympians. Entry is restricted for sportspersons and RSC is doing exactly the same. Financially weak children, who are alented, are given free coaching in the disciplines they are good at;
16. Is the Karyavattom stadium, which is given on lease by the government to a private party, having free access to all sportspersons? A government stadium in Palghat is functioning in the style of RSC by admitting members charging admission fees. Simila
rly, nobody is permitted inside Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Even Maharajah’s College Stadium is charging Rs.1000 per
person for using the stadium for walking;
17. RSC is not functioning like a ‘club’ as alleged. It is a Sports Centre that is serious into promotion of sports & games. It has produced National & International players. M.R. Arjun, the current World No.
4 ranked in under 19 Boy’s Doubles in Badminton, Tanvi Bhat, under 14 Asian Champion in Tennis, Miss Elizabeth Susan Koshy, Commonwealth Games Gold Medalist and winner of two Gold Medals in the recently concluded National Games in Rifle Shooting are all examples and achievements of RSC’s Academies;
18. And also in the 35 th National Games in Badminton, P.C. Thulasi was Gold Medalist in Women’s Singles, Sanave Thomas & Roopesh Kumar were Silver Medalist in Men’s Doubles, Aarthi Sarah Sunil, Aparna B
19. In the current year, RSC Badminton Players were winners and runners-up in almost all the events in all the three ranking tournaments conducted in Kerala;
20. RSC players in Table Tennis, Tennis, Swimming & football have also performed and secured medals in the State Championships and Nationals;
21. Due to RSC’s rich tradition in sports, a Chinese sports equipment company known as ‘Li-Ning’, who has now sponsored the whole Indian Contingent for the Rio Olympics, approached us. They have entered into an agreement with us for three years to sponsor equipments and apparels for the trainees of Badminton & Table Tennis Academies worth more than Rs. 1 crore per year free of cost;
22. Out of the 153 recipients of the above two academies who received sports goods and equip
ment worth Rs.40,000 each, 107 trainees were children of non-members. These equipments & apparels were jointly distributed by P. Rajeev, former MP and Saumini Jain, Mayor of Kochi City during the month of July 2016;
23. RSC is running on
24. At present, RSC requires about Rs.15 lakhs a month to meet its day-to- day expenses i.e. Rs.1.8 crores in a year;
25. Till date, there is no financial support from the government or any other agencies to meet the day-to- day expenses of RSC;
26. The entire infrastructure of RSC like the Swimming Pool, Indoor Tennis Complex and Kerala’s First Artificial Turf & Jogging Track was constructed with the money raised as admission fees from members and through corporate sponsorships;
27. For the conduct of National Games in Badminton and Table Tennis, the government had spent about Rs.10 crores for air conditioning the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium, lighting, acoustics and for fire equipments;
28. The concept of Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode was unknowingly introduced for the first time here, way back in the year 1986 itself, during the construction of Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium;
29. RSC has incurred a revenue loss i.e. excess of expenditure over income of Rs.1.21 crores during 2015, Rs.91.4 lakhs during 2014, Rs.30.8 lakhs during 2013, Rs.12.8 lakhs during 2012 and Rs.31.7 lakhs during 2011 respectively (copies of audited accounts forwarded to Sports Minister & President of KSSC);
30. RSC has rented out the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium for 40 days for marriages & other commercial purposes during 2016 totally collecting Rs.48.7 lakhs, 17 days for marriages & other commercial purposes during 2015 totally collecting Rs.7.3 lakhs., 41 days for marriages & other commercial purposes during 2014 totally collecting Rs.21.6 lakhs, 57 days for marriages & other commercial purposes during 2013 totally collecting Rs.24.47 lakhs (statements forwarded to Sports Minister & President of
KSSC) and the revenue generated during these periods were not enough to meet its revenue expenditure;
31. Because of its quality infrastructure, RSC is chosen as a venue for the conduct of an permanent elite camp in fencing by the Kerala State Sports Council;
32. In fact, the functioning of RSC is well appreciated by Injeti Srinivas, Director General of SAI. The Sports Ministry adopted the functioning of RSC as a role model for ‘Community Sports Development’ all over the country;
33. The rooms of RSC are all monitored and rented out only to sportspersons or respectable guests of members. No untoward activities are reported so far about the occupants of the rooms. And no rooms are misused.
34. The administration of RSC is very transparent and there is zero tolerance on corruption. It is run with utmost honesty and integrity. Three corrupt and indisciplined staff have been weeded out;
35. The day-to- day administration of RSC consists of an Executive Committee comprising of 10 members who are democratically elected from among the 6500 members and six ex-officio members;
36. RSC has more than 6500 family members and the current market value of their membership is Rs.195 crores;
37. At present, RSC has a bank balance of more than Rs.8 crores that is kept aside for the construction of Kochi’s only Olympic Size Swimming Pool Complex for which permission has already been obtained from KSSC and Director of Sports & Youth Affairs;
38. To sum it up, RSC is the only well maintained and performing sports centre in this state. This is due to the sincere and dedicated efforts put in by a few of us. We are sure that we will be able to produce ‘Olympic Champions’ from here in the future.
In fact, RSC is functioning in a much better manner than expected producing International & National Sportspersons.
