Polo Grounds idea may meet Chest Hospital fate

Hyderabad: Another ambitious proposal of the State Government is likely to fall flat if the available trends are pointers of the things to come. Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao made his intentions pretty obvious and clear when he wished to have the Secretariat at the land housing the Chest Hospital. Unfortunately for him, his dreams were dashed for many reasons, including on the security aspects.

As things stand, his next best bet the sprawling open land in Secunderabad that includes the Bison Polo Grounds and Gymkhana Grounds may meet a similar fate. This is despite KCR meeting Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. The Gymkhana that abuts the Polo Grounds serves as the office of the Hyderabad District Sports Authority while the adjacent cricket ground is in the control of Hyderabad Cricket Association.

Not surprisingly, neither has been sounded about a possible shifting.According to HCA administrators, “we came to know about this development in the media. There has been no official communication, as such. We don’t think this proposal will materialize. In fact, we have no plans to ‘search’ for any alternative venues.

Gymkhana is synonymous with cricket.” Some point out that the neighbouring Secunderabad Club may also be a tricky problem for the proposal. With the State’s rich and famous as its members, and the Club itself being a popular venue, having it just yonder of the Secretariat may be one hell of a headache.

By Sridhar K Penna