The Vidarbha Hockey Association (VHA) has suffered a major setback after the Nagpur District Collector cancelled its lease of the hockey ground on Amravati Road and directed the Tehsildar to take possession of the land.
In an order issued on July 17, the Collector stated that the association had failed to fulfil the conditions required for continuation of the lease. The decision was based on a report submitted by the District Sports Office, which cited inadequate sports infrastructure, poor maintenance of the ground and limited hockey activities at the venue.
The VHA has challenged the order before the Divisional Commissioner, seeking its cancellation. The association has also appealed to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is the patron of the VHA, requesting his intervention to protect what it described as one of Vidarbha’s oldest hockey institutions.
The association has been in possession of the 3.8-acre land since 1962. Its lease was renewed in 2007 for a period of 30 years and was scheduled to remain valid until 2037.
Before terminating the lease, the Collector had issued show-cause notices asking the association to submit lease-related documents and explain whether it had complied with all lease conditions. VHA officials said they responded to the notices and participated in the hearings. They also submitted a letter from the District Sports Office appreciating the association for providing the venue for inter-school hockey competitions in 2025.
However, the Collector’s order noted several shortcomings, including non-payment of lease rent for several years, poor maintenance of the ground, overgrown vegetation, absence of an astro turf, lack of goalposts and field markings, inadequate drainage, an open drain near the ground, and the absence of basic facilities such as changing rooms and clean drinking water.
Rejecting the allegations, VHA coordinator Krishna Joshi claimed the ground has essential amenities, including changing rooms, toilets and purified drinking water. He said field markings are done only during tournaments and that grass-cutting is carried out after the monsoon.
The association has also referred to a recent Bombay High Court order directing the Directorate of Sports and Youth Services to decide the issue of sports grace marks for VHA players within a stipulated time. According to VHA, the Directorate is yet to comply with that direction.
Describing the lease cancellation as detrimental to the future of hockey in the region, the association has urged the State Government to reconsider the decision, saying the issue concerns not only the VHA but the development of the sport across Vidarbha.
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