THE vision of transforming Nagpur into a global sports hub has hit a tragic milestone. Nearly a decade ago, in 2015-16, a landmark agreement was signed between the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) and the Sports Authority of India (SAI) to develop a Regional Centre of Sports Excellence in theWathoda area. Spanning a massive 140- plus acres, the land was provided on a nominal lease to foster Olympic-level talent. However, ten years later, the ambitious ‘Sports City’ remains a desolate stretch of land, described today as nothing more than a graveyard for sports talent where the only visible progress is a single boundary wall.

 

The land was to be given to SAI on 30-year lease at Rs 1 and NMC House approved the proposal in April 2018. Prior to that, an agreement was signed with Director, SAI, in April 2016 and Maharashtra Government gave its nod one year later on July 2017. Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) was original owner of the said land but later it was transferred to NMC in 1959-60 for sewage farm and included parcels in Mouza Wathoda, Mouza Bhandewadi and Mouza Tarodi (Khurd) and Mouza Bidgaon. The project was initially launched with significant fanfare during the 2015-16 period. The objective was to create a state of the art training facility for athletes aged 13 to 15, providing them with internationalstandard coaching and infrastructure.

 

Spanning a total of 140+ acres in the MouzaWathoda (28.48 acres) and Tarodi areas (112.29 acres), the project was intended to be Nagpur’s answer to National-level training centres. Unfortunately, the deal has become a case study in bureaucratic indifference.While the land was handed over on a nominal lease, the actual development has been virtually non-existent. A recent on-ground analysis reveals a shocking lack of development. In ten years, the only physical structure erected on the site is a boundary wall. There are no athletic tracks, no hostels and no training halls. Instead, the prime land has become a victim of neglect, plagued by encroachments and illegal activities. By 2021-2023, it was reported that few acres of private land fell within the proposed area, and illegal, unauthorised constructions had appeared on the land, creating major obstacles for the project.

 

When NMC attempted to clear the land for a compound wall in 2023, it faced protests from residents who claimed ownership. Mangesh Khawale, Deputy Municipal C o m m i s s i o n e r , explaining the current scenario to The Hitavada, said “NMC has handed the land many years ago to SAI, hence, they are the responding authorities who will give exact details as to current status of the project. But what I know is that petitions has been filed by few people claiming the land ownership. Now until the High Court remove the stay order, we also can’t barge in for clearing the space.” Almost 60 per cent of the compound wall work is complete by SAI and their officials could elaborate further details” he added. Leela Jain, a resident, said “Authorities have taken public for granted. Their actions always indicate that they think people will talk about it for few months and then they will forget about the project. The reason there are lack of actual doers in the authorities, who care about us, who genuinely feel that this kind of work is not acceptable and this delay would never happen if any of the officer think in such manner.” The lack of a local regional center forces Nagpur’s brightest talents to travel to other states or abandon their dreams entirely due to a lack of financial support and infrastructure. As the city enters 2026, the question remains: when will the silence end? With over 140 acres of land locked in a stagnant lease, the citizens and athletes of Nagpur are demanding accountability from both the NMC and SAI to revive this dying dream.