Gujarat University tennis courts littered with waste after Tennis Premier League, claims Youth Congress

Concerns have been raised regarding the condition and maintenance of the tennis courts at Gujarat University, which have been leased to a private company to operate.

A privately organised Tennis Premier League was held at the university’s tennis courts recently. Following the conclusion of the tournament, the premises were allegedly left unclean.

As per the complaints, garbage and waste materials were found scattered around the tennis court area once the tournament concluded. The issue came to light after an inter-college tennis tournament commenced on December 16 at the same venue.

Students participating in the university-level competition were reportedly required to play in the alleged unclean surroundings.

Gujarat University has developed multiple sports facilities over recent years, including tennis courts, a badminton hall, a rifle shooting centre, and other infrastructure, reportedly at significant cost. However, questions have been raised by some student groups over the maintenance and management of these facilities.

The Youth Congress submitted a written complaint to the Vice-Chancellor, stating that the tennis courts constructed at high cost were leased to a private agency, that organised a private Tennis Premier League between December 9 and 14. 

The complaint noted that the condition of the courts has been pathetic as players selected from the ongoing inter-college tournament will represent Gujarat University at the West Zone Inter-University Tournament at the national level. 

With experts expected to visit the university in connection with Commonwealth Games-related assessments, questions have been raised about preparedness if maintenance and management issues persist.

Responsibility for post-event cleanliness rests with the private agency that organised the tournament, the Youth Congress members said. It has been alleged that after the event concluded, items such as waste materials and empty bottles were found scattered across the premises.

At the same time, it was claimed that there was a lack of clarity between university authorities and the private agency regarding responsibility for upkeep.

Additionally, concerns were expressed over the university’s practice of allowing private companies, agencies, or institutions to use university property for events, with complaints that cleanliness issues are frequently observed after such programmes.

No official response from Gujarat University authorities or the concerned private agency was available at the time of publication of this report.