Haryana CM Saini Disrupts Athletes’ Training By Parking Helicopter At Gurgaon Stadium

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini’s official chopper was parked for four days next to the athletics track at Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Gurugram, leaving state-level athletes without access to their regular training facility. The helicopter remained at the stadium from Sunday until Wednesday, when it finally took off with Saini, who had returned from a three-day Singapore tour according to the Time of India.

With the athletics track and inner synthetic ground cordoned off as part of the security protocol, athletes were forced to miss practice sessions during the period. For players training for upcoming competitions, even a few days away from a regular training routine can be significant.

The episode has also brought renewed attention to the use of the stadium as a landing and parking spot for VIP helicopters. Athletes said the chopper is parked there for a day or two nearly every month, disrupting training at a facility meant primarily for sporting activities.

Repeated Helicopter Disruptions

It has happened before.

In March 2020, officials emptied the stadium’s cricket ground during practice so then Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s helicopter could land. The stadium management had said then that it had approached the administration for a separate helipad.

Athletes And Parents

Players said the impact is immediate. “For athletes training continuously for competitions, even losing one or two days of practice is a significant loss,” said a player who trains at the stadium, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Images of the red-and-white Airbus H145 D3 helicopter parked next to the athletics track spread on social media on Wednesday and drew criticism over “VIP culture”. In a post on X, a player said hundreds of state-level athletes use the stadium each day and that many have no other track to train on. The post questioned why athletes’ training and ambitions should be sacrificed for VIP convenience.

A parent told The Times of India that children came from across the city for practice and were turned away after reaching the stadium. A sports coach, who did not wish to be named, said authorities should find another place to park helicopters so training does not stop. The coach said the city has several open spaces that could serve that purpose. “The stadium is meant for athletes’ training and sporting activities. While the chief minister’s security is important, players should not repeatedly be kept away from the ground because a helicopter needs to be parked,” the coach said according to The Times of India.

Why Stadium Used

Officials claimed that the helicopter was parked at the stadium, a government sports facility under GMDA, because leaving it in Delhi would have meant parking charges. They said Saini often uses the chopper for visits to the city and is driven to IGI Airport from the stadium when he has to catch a flight. The stadium is also close to the mini secretariat and the PWD guesthouse, which makes it a convenient landing point.

Gurgaon does not have a helipad run by the Haryana government or the civil aviation ministry, though private landing sites exist. The Times of India reported that in 2022 the state gave 25 acres in Global City, along Central Peripheral Road, to the Centre for an integrated heli hub. The plan called for the country’s first such facility, with a heliport, hangars, repair units and other services. Work has yet to begin, even as HSIIDC has started moving the land for the project, leaving the stadium as the easiest place to land a chopper.

Rajeev Jaitly, the chief minister’s media adviser said that the helicopter was parked at the stadium because of a snag, and not as a standby measure. “It was there for four days because of a machinery glitch that prevented it from taking off. Normally, whenever the helicopter is parked there, it takes off within half an hour. It does not remain there for days,” he said.

Saini’s Oct. 4-6 Singapore visit attracted investment proposals worth nearly Rs 5,500 crore across healthcare, water infrastructure, education and skill development, with the state government projecting those as a boost for jobs, urban services and industrial growth.