mid-day visits the collapsed stand a day after MSSA President Fr Jude Rodrigues promised to cordon off the area, only to notice young fans still seated on the dilapidated portions
Fans and young players watch MSSA U-16 Division I football matches yesterday at the Azad Maidan from the same stand that collapsed on Tuesday. Pic/Suresh Karkera
There were no precautionary measures taken by the Mumbai Schools Sports Association (MSSA) after one of the concrete stands at the Azad Maidan ground collapsed during the opening day of the MSSA U-16 Division I football tournament on Tuesday. Campion's (Cooperage) Aarzish Mugaseth, who was walking on the dilapidated stands, escaped with a minor injury.
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Parents are furious
MSSA president Fr Jude Rodrigues reportedly promised to cordon off the dangerous areas. However, when mid-day visited the site yesterday, children and young fans were still seen seating on the stands. Quizzed on when will MSSA take concrete action, football secretary Sebastian Fernandes said: "We will definitely have to cordon off the area for the safety of the children, but I can't tell you anything about it right now. I will have to talk to Fr Jude Rodrigues regarding this."
Many parents and coaches of the various schools were furious by the whole incident. St Mary's SSC (Mazgaon) coach Harsh Mistry said: "This is the only place where the players and parents sit. It's very difficult to sit in such places. This area has become very scary."
'Same state from 5 years'
Atul Kothari, a parent, feels precautionary measures should be taken at the earliest before another incident takes place. "These kids are small. It's not always possible to stop them from mingling around in this area. This work should had been done much earlier. I am seeing this state from the last five years. Are they waiting for something severe to happen?" he questioned. Another parent, Ishak Khan, who's son Danish plays for Christ Church (Byculla) wants not only the stands, but the entire ground to be revamped. "I am coming here from the last three years to watch my son play. The conditions are getting worse daily. The ground is so rough. It's really making it difficult for the boys to play here. Even a minor fall may result in a major injury. Nothing is free here. They are charging money from schools, so why can't they improve the facilities?" Khan asked.
'This stand is lethal'
"Sitting here is life threatening. You can't say when this part where we are standing right now will collapse. But we have to come here to watch our kids. There is no other option, but to sit here during the rains," he added.
MSSA's Honorary General Secretary Esmero Figueiredo said the ground, which has been given to MSSA on lease by the Government of Maharashtra, cannot carry out any renovation work unless the state government grants them permission. "We will be carrying out a structural audit this week and will try to submit the report to the state government. We are hopeful of getting the permission soon."
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