Strong protest against proposed entrustment of Sport Complexes/Stadiums and Indoor Stadiums located in the heartland of the cities of 15 Zonal Railways and Production Units – Urgent intervention

No.AIRF/214 Dated: June 3, 2021

The Chairman and CEO,

Railway Board,

New Delhi

Dear Sir,

Sub: Strong protest against proposed entrustment of Sport Complexes/Stadiums and Indoor Stadiums located in the heartland of the cities of 15 Zonal Railways and Production Units – Urgent intervention – Reg.

Ref.: Railway Board’s letter No.2019/LMB-I/4/2 dated 18.05.2021, addressed to the Vice Chairman,RLDA

Your kind attention is invited towards the subjected sensitive issue, cropped-up due to Railway Board’s letter referred to above.

Strong resentment and anguish is pouring in from our affiliates in various Railway Zones and Production Units.

Your goodself is fully aware that, Railway Sports Complexes/Stadiums and Indoor Stadiums are located in the heartland of various important cities and are being used by the Sportspersons and other sports enthusiasts besides common Railwaymen(Serving and Retired) since last many decades. These Sports Complexes have ever been found live and vibrant with the presence of the Sportspersons, various games and sports practitioners with the presence of the Sportspersons of the locality besides the Railway Employees, children of the nearby Railway Colonies and Senior Citizens/Pensioners. These Stadiums and Sports Complexes/Grounds are not surplus and unusable Railway land which can be handed over to anybody else. These Sports Grounds/Complexes/Stadiums helped the Sportspersons to develop their skills in their respective games and sports, including Athletics, Cricket, Football, Basketball, Volleyball, Tennis, Badminton and having modern infrastructure for Gymnasium and Weightlifting with availability of adequate equipments needed for the same.

Please recall that, numerous Sportspersons, Indian Railway Teams of various games and sports have excelled in their own respective sport fields and continuously brought laurels to the Indian Railways through National and International Events and always being praised by all the spheres of the country.

Needless to mention here that, All India Railwaymen’s Federation and its affiliated unions, since decades, have all along exerted for overall development, modernization and provision for updated sports equipments, drawing regular attention of the Zonal Sports Officers and Railway Sports Promotion Board of the Ministry of Railways and raising the issues/grievances of the Sportspersons for providing them enhanced facilities for their motivation.

All India Railwaymen’s Federation is with the sentiments of lakhs of Railwaymen, their families, children and sportspersons since strong resentment and anguish is seen all over the Railway Fraternity against arbitrary decision of the Railway Board to handover Railway Sports Grounds/Complex and Stadiums to RLDA for commercial development.

AIRF, therefore, requests your immediate personal intervention, being a serious issue touching the sentiments of the entire Railwaymen, besides the Sportspersons all over the Indian Railways, so as to arrest growing frustration by withdrawal of Railway Board’s letter referred to above, with an advice to this Federation.

An early action in the matter shall be highly appreciated.