Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium hosted Punjabi singer Diljit Dosanjh’s ‘Dil-Luminati India Tour 2024’ concert on October 26-27.
Chandigarh: Once known as a hub of sporting excellence, Delhi’s premier stadiums managed by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) seem to have shifted their focus to hosting entertainment events, sidelining sports in the process.
The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (JLN), one of SAI’s largest and most prestigious facilities, hosted a concert by Punjabi singer Diljit Dosanjh on October 26 and 27 as part of the “Dil-Luminati India Tour 2024.” During the event, 4,300 bottles of liquor and 69,000 bottles of beer were reportedly served to attendees. This information was revealed through a Right to Information (RTI) query filed by Punjab-based activist and advocate Kamal Anand.
The liquor license for the event was procured by the organizer, Saregama India Pvt. Ltd., and was valid for the two-day live concert. According to SAI’s reply to the RTI, the organizers paid Rs 3,07,58,436 as the booking amount for the event. The license issued by the Excise Department stipulated that alcohol would only be served to adults over 25 years of age, and the designated area for serving alcohol had to be screened off from public view.
Anand also inquired about complimentary passes distributed to SAI staff, which are part of the general conditions for booking non-sporting events. With a seating capacity of 32,000 per concert, approximately 1,600 complimentary passes would have been allocated to SAI staff for each event, totaling 3,200 passes for the two concerts. However, SAI admitted in its reply that while 5% of the passes were allocated to staff on a first-come, first-serve basis, no records of these passes were maintained.
Anand criticized this lack of record-keeping, highlighting that tickets for the concert ranged between Rs 2,499 and Rs 19,999 but were sold at higher rates in the market. “Even 3,200 passes and tickets worth several lakhs were distributed without maintaining any record. This doesn’t seem logical or legal, and misuse of these tickets/passes cannot be ruled out,” Anand stated, adding that he plans to file an appeal on the matter.
Anand claims that Diljit’s concerts are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the shift in SAI-managed stadiums’ focus. Of the 131 events hosted at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium this year, only 11 were sports-related. The rest included music concerts, government programs, NGO events, and political gatherings, contributing significantly to SAI’s revenue.
The trend is similar at other major SAI facilities. For instance: Indira Gandhi International Stadium hosted only five sports events compared to 43 non-sporting events. Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, another prominent facility, saw a significant focus on non-sporting events. Between April and October 2024, it hosted shooting competitions, Dandiya festivals, Durga Puja celebrations, and even served as a parking lot, earning Rs 75.31 lakh in revenue during this period.
Anand called this shift a systematic sidelining of sports, emphasizing that these stadiums, built for athletic excellence, are now primarily being used for entertainment and revenue generation. “The misuse of these facilities for non-sporting purposes not only undermines their original purpose but also raises questions about transparency and accountability in the management of such events,” he added.