BNS awaits NSC's repairing job

Nearly six months after the vandalism at the Bangabandhu National Stadium by the Hefajat-e-Islam, the country's premier venue, especially its press box, still awaits to be repaired due to the 'reluctance' of the National Sports Council (NSC).
The NSC, custodian of all the sports venues of the country, was supposed to refurbish the venue within a short period of time as promised by the NSC chairman and sports minister Ahad Ali Sarker, but the BNS has still remained in that haphazard previous shape, with the new football season knocking on the door.
The sports regulatory body, NSC, had estimated some Tk 89 lakh worth of damage in that May 5 incident which included vandalism of 50 chairs, some glasses at press box, a giant glass at the president's box, eight dugouts, store-room of athletics federation, time-keeping house of the athletic track, electronic timer, electric cables, sound system and a small portion of the Tk 10-crore athletic tract.
However, despite the repeated appeals from the Bangladesh Football Federation, the NSC has shown very little interest in refurbishing the press box.
Athletics also suffered due to the vandalism as athletes had to take part in the Bangladesh Games and Summer Athletics Championship on the damaged turf.
A source within the NSC informed that only Tk 2 lakh is needed to fix the glasses at the press box but the concerned file is left unattended on a directors' table.
“The file of the renovation work at the BNS press box has been sent to me today and I will sit immediately with the director of the Planning and Development once he comes back from Sylhet,” said NSC secretary Shibnath Roy yesterday, hoping that renovation work at the BNS press box would be completed before the start of the new season, November 4.