Tennis
Locals protest as Tennis courts in Pune converted to Police parking lot
Five tennis courts in the Aundh area of Pune City has been converted into a parking lot for police vehicles forcing the players out.
Local people in the Aundh area of Pune protested as five tennis courts located on a one-acre plot next to the road between the Parihar intersection and Westin Mall were converted into a parking lot for police vehicles.
While the police department has said that the parking is temporary, the local citizens have criticized the move claiming it to be inconsiderate.
“It is truly ironic that while we constantly complain about the shortage of proper sports facilities in the city, the police department has chosen to turn five tennis courts — which have been there for over 30 years and regularly used by locals — into a parking lot for their vehicles. “This move demonstrates a complete disregard for the community’s well-being and is a blatant display of arrogance and inconsiderate decision-making," a resident Shekhar Bonagiri said.
"The tennis courts catered to residents across all age groups. This move demonstrates a complete disregard for the community’s well-being and is a blatant display of arrogance and inconsiderate decision-making," Shekhar added further.
Tennis School forced out
Apart from converting the tennis courts into parking spots, the Om Dalvi Memorial Tennis School was also forced out on the grounds of overdue rent.
Umesh Dalvi, who was running the school, was allegedly forced to move out. Although he got a stay from the Bombay High Court last year paying all the dues in rent, eventually the tennis school had to down shutters this year.
“We were running a tennis academy for 11 years. The claim that rent was unpaid is entirely untrue, as we cannot hold back payment that is due to the police department,” Dalvi told Pune Times Mirror.
