The price of everything goes up; Not only the rent of various stadiums under the National Sports Council (NSC) is increasing. In the last 32 years, the shop rent has increased by only 11-12 rupees per square foot. NSC is charging a maximum rent of 26 taka 70 paisa per square foot from 1 thousand 74 shops and establishments in various sports facilities of the country. As this rent is much lower than the current market price, NSC is not able to earn realistic revenue from the shop rent.
A total of 296 shops have been allocated in the name of various individuals and organizations in the Bangabandhu National Stadium. On September 12, Interim Government Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Mahmood Sajib Bhuiyan visited the surface stadium and found this disparity between the rate of shop rent and the revenue of NSC. Later, in a post given on his verified Facebook page, he wrote, 'It seems that someone has left me in the ocean of corruption.'
Sports advisor found that the NSC shops were getting rent from Tk 22 to Tk 26 70 paise per square foot, but the allottees were charging Tk 170 to Tk 220 per square foot. In other words, the allotted people are charging several times more rent than the rent allotted by NSC. Extra money is going into their pockets. On the other hand, the Sports Ministry and NSC are deprived of a huge amount of revenue.
NSCK has to take the responsibility. According to the shopkeepers of Twin Tower Sports Market, which is very close to Bangabandhu Stadium, the rent of a shop on the fourth floor is Rs. 350 per square foot. First, second and third floor shop rents range from Tk 500 to Tk 650 per sq ft.
In the financial year 2023-24, NSC earned Tk 7 crore 30 lakh 73 thousand from rent from 1074 shops and establishments across the country. If you get rent at real market rate it could be several times more. Where NSC's main source of income is shop rent, they have cut off their own income streams to give special privileges to a class of reserved people. In return, their pockets are heavy. Officials of the concerned department of NSC were contacted to know about this, but none of them agreed to speak.
Planning and Development Department of NSC is responsible for allotment of stadium shops. Rules for revaluation of rent by constituting committee every three years. This committee scrutinizes and forwards the new fare rates to the Chairman of NSC to the Youth and Sports Minister for approval. It is known that many times the NSC chairman approved the increased rent, but it could not be done due to the pressure of the shop owner association. But that increased rent was never offered at the actual market rate.
359.949 SRY