OC distributed over 30 per cent tickets for free: RTI query

New Delhi, Feb 13 (PTI) Anticipating embarrassment at theprospect of empty stands during the Commonwealth Games, theExecutive Board had decided to give nearly 30 per cent of thetickets on complimentary basis and even authorised SureshKalmadi for increasing this quota further.

The Board also knew nearly 12 days in advance that mostof the good seats in the stadiums were "killed" due to camerapositions, placing of video screen, scoreboards but did not doanything to tweak the arrangement for providing bettervisibility to the audience, reveals an RTI reply.

The Board instead decided to distribute tickets free ofcost to various people to fill the stadiums, it said.

The minutes of the Board meeting was informed that only1.31 lakh tickets worth Rs 12.8 crore could be sold as againstplanned sale of 14 lakh tickets resulting from "negativepublicity and uncertainty surrounding the Games".

"The executive board was of the view that it is criticalto fill up the stadiums and complimentary tickets should beissued to various Games constituents," the minutes revealed inan RTI application filed by S C Agrawal said.

According to agreed policy of the Executive board, forthe sports event, after the evaluation of unsold ticketreports about a week in advance, 30 per cent of total printedtickets will be distributed as complimentary.

The board also decided that nearly three days before theevent, another assessment of the ticket sales will be done andif "significant" number remains unsold, another 10-15 per centwould be marked as complimentary.

"The Executive Board approved the proposal ofcomplementary tickets and unsold tickets (up to 30 per cent)policy. The EB also authorised Chairman, OC to taken necessarydecision to fill up the stadium for the successful conduct ofthe Games beyond 30 per cent," the minutes said.

Beneficiaries of these free tickets included VIP boxguests, political parties, senior govt dignitaries, 71Commonwealth Games Association and Organising CommitteeExecutive Board members, international federations, sports andmedical commission, Supreme Court and High Court judges.

Also included were sportsmen, officials of DDA, MCD andNDMC, UK member of Parliament, business club members, and anumber of officials from various services.

The Organising Committee, however, did not find it fit todistribute these tickets among school children.