A multi-purpose sports facility, proposed on the premises of Tau Devi Lal stadium in 2014, now appears to be as distant a dream as India winning an Olympics gold in swimming.Even after four years, almost two years behind the original deadline, only 10% work has been completed at the Sector 38 site that is expected to boast an Olympic-size swimming pool , badminton and volleyball courts, synthetic racing tracks and a hostel for sportspersons, among others.Interestingly though, on paper the work is ‘complete’ and over 90% of the earmarked funds has already been paid to the contractor — revealed an RTI application, sparking rumours about corruption and wrong-doing in the project.According to officials, the Haryana government had approved the proposal for the four-storey sports facility in September 2014, and subsequently cleared a budget of Rs 13.55 crore, along with additional 3.5% above the ceiling rate that was supposed to be paid after the completion of the construction.The tender was allotted on July 2, 2015, setting a deadline of 15 months (from July 2015) to complete the structure. However, the construction was started only in June 2016. Later, the project cost was revised upwards to Rs 22 crore in December 2016. But, the project ran into a speed bump the same month as cash-strapped Huda did not have enough funds to spare for the work.A year later, the stadium (and thus the project) was handed over to newly formed Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) in December 2017, but it was decided that Huda would complete the project. Finally, the construction resumed last month. “We will complete the construction by the end of this year, and will hand over the facility to GMDA ,” said Shaveta Sharma, executive engineer, Huda.Meanwhile, in response to an RTI peal filed by activist Harinder Dhingra, the authorities revealed that over Rs 21.49 crore (of the Rs 22 crore) had already been paid to the contractor even though only the damp course had been completed so far. Huda officials are tight-lipped on the matter.“The RTI plea reveals that work is almost complete on paper. Also, between January 2016 and March 2017, Rs 21.49 crore was paid for completing the multipurpose hall. A visit to the project site reveals a completely different picture. This is corruption in its ugliest form,” said Dhingra.Dhingra said he had written to the chief minister and the vigilance department last week, demanding a probe into the matter.

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