CWG: OC distributed over 30 per cent tickets for free
New Delhi: Anticipating embarrassment at the prospect of empty stands during the Commonwealth Games, the Executive Board had decided to give nearly 30 per cent of the tickets on complimentary basis and even authorised Suresh Kalmadi for increasing this quota further.
The Board also knew nearly 12 days in advance that most of the good seats in the stadiums were 'killed' due to camera positions, placing of video screen, scoreboards but did not do anything to tweak the arrangement for providing better visibility to the audience, reveals an RTI reply.
The Board instead decided to distribute tickets free of cost to various people to fill the stadiums, it said.
The minutes of the Board meeting was informed that only 1.31 lakh tickets worth Rs 12.8 crore could be sold as against planned sale of 14 lakh tickets resulting from 'negative publicity and uncertainty surrounding the Games'.
"The executive board was of the view that it is critical to fill up the stadiums and complimentary tickets should be issued to various Games constituents," the minutes revealed in an RTI application filed by S.C. Agrawal said.
According to agreed policy of the Executive board, for the sports event, after the evaluation of unsold ticket reports about a week in advance, 30 per cent of total printed tickets will be distributed as complimentary.
The board also decided that nearly three days before the event, another assessment of the ticket sales will be done and if 'significant' number remains unsold, another 10-15 per cent would be marked as complimentary.
"The Executive Board approved the proposal of complementary tickets and unsold tickets (up to 30 per cent) policy. The EB also authorised Chairman, OC to taken necessary decision to fill up the stadium for the successful conduct of the Games beyond 30 per cent," the minutes said.
Beneficiaries of these free tickets included VIP box guests, political parties, senior govt dignitaries, 71 Commonwealth Games Association and Organising Committee Executive Board members, international federations, sports and medical commission, Supreme Court and High Court judges.
Also included were sportsmen, officials of DDA, MCD and NDMC, UK member of Parliament, business club members, and a number of officials from various services.
The Organising Committee, however, did not find it fit to distribute these tickets among school children.
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