Indoor stadium to earn Rs 81.75 lakh for SMC this Navratri

SURAT: After three years of gap when Indoor stadium of Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) was closed for closed for repairs , this year, it has given the facility for nine days of revelries during Navratri . For this SMC would get a rent of Rs 81.75 lakh. It was in 2002 that first time SMC lent the indoor stadium for Garba revelries and in ten years , it came so much in demand that organizers paid up to Rs 1 crore for nine days of Navratri.
However, it was in the year 2012-13 that the structure of the stadium in Athwalines was damaged it required some major repairs.SMC spent Rs 22 crore and it took three years for the whole repairs to be completed. Now , as it was completed, BJP rulers decided initially not to lend the stadium for Navratri . However , with change of mind tenders were invited two months ago but in first attempt there were no takers . In second attempt they have found a local organizer taking up the venue for organizing Navratri festival this year paying up Rs 81.75 lakh. An SMC official said, “ It is a good price and above our base price of Rs 75 lakh so we have decided to allot the stadium to them.”