AU sports fraternity turns furious

They shooed away sportsmen in the middle of a State-level tournament and dug up a playground, which was once good enough for Ranji Trophy matches, to build a helipad for the Chief Minister.

After the turf was turned over and read earth was piled up all around the ground, it was announced that the Chief Minister had cancelled his visit. The sports fraternity of Andhra University is furious.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s short tour to the city on Saturday may have been postponed, but the damage to AU’s Silver Jubilee Ground has been done.

The R&B Department had commandeered the ground just to create a temporary helipad for Chief Minister’s helicopter to land here for a visit to Araku for the Janmabhoomi programme and to Rushikonda for the wedding reception of a MLA’s son.

The officials did not hesitate to disrupt the State-level tournament of a SC group from Relli. The playing teams playing in the Relli Association’s State-level cricket tournament had to not only leave the ground but also had to vacate the dormitory in the adjacent AU Gymnasium. A large area near the cricket pitch was dug up on Thursday. The work was halted when it rained heavily. On Friday, an advocate and research scholar Palaka Sreeramamurthy, a former AU athlete, and some players went to the ground and staged a protest.

Mr. Sreeramamurthy said he would file a PIL if no action was taken against the officials responsible for damaging the ground.

Even as the AU sports fraternity turns furious, officials have come to know that Naidu’s visit to city today has been cancelled