Pune: A large tent erected at S.P. College grounds in Pune for a scheduled rally by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which was part of the inauguration event for the Pune Metro's District Court-Swargate route, was left unused after the event was canceled due to rain.

The tent installation, however, caused significant damage to the college’s sports field, leaving student athletes with concerns about their practice sessions.

The Prime Minister was set to inaugurate the Pune Metro route and announce several development projects at the event on September 26, 2024.

The rally was also seen as an opportunity to showcase political strength ahead of the upcoming state assembly elections. However, due to heavy rains, the event could not proceed as planned.

The metro inauguration and other developments were instead launched remotely through a video conference on September 29.

The aftermath of the tent construction has left the college’s sports field in a poor condition. The large trucks used to transport materials for the tent have uprooted the soil, leaving trenches and scattered gravel across the field.

Additionally, a gravel road was built on the grounds to accommodate the Prime Minister’s arrival. As a result, the field, now littered with debris and filled with rainwater, is unfit for use by the college's sports teams.

Student athletes who use the grounds for football, cricket, kabaddi, and athletics have raised concerns about how they will practice for upcoming university competitions. They are calling for immediate restoration of the grounds to allow them to resume their training.

Advocate S.K. Jain, President of the Education Society’s Regulatory Council, said that the District Collector had requested the use of the field due to security concerns.

The college agreed to provide the grounds on the condition that they would be restored after the event. "MahaMetro is responsible for restoring the field to its original state, and the process will begin shortly," said Jain.

Hemant Sonawane, Executive Director of MahaMetro, confirmed that the agreement to restore the grounds was in place from the beginning. He assured that MahaMetro would take full responsibility for returning the field to its original condition after the event.