Fear of bad roads forces Dipa Karmakar to return BMW car gifted to her

Karmakar said the BMW X1, presented to her by Sachin Tendulkar was not suited for Tripura roads

Gymnast Dipa Karmakar on Wednesday revealed that she was planning to return the BMW that was gifted to her by the auto major's brand ambassador and cricketing legend, Sachin Tendulkar.

Karmakar was gifted the vehicle at a function in Hyderabad organised by the Badminton Association of Hyderabad.

According to media reports, the decision to return the car was taken jointly by Karmakar's family and her coach, as maintaining it would be a challenge for them, considering there are no service centres in the north-eastern state. Moreover, the poor condition of roads in Tripura also made the Indian gymnast sceptical about the BMW's suitability to ply on the hilly and narrow lanes of the region.  

“Roads in Tripura are not good enough to drive such a vehicle. There are no capable drivers in Agartala to drive a BMW and the company has no showroom or service centre in the state,” Dulal Karmakar, Dipa's father told Hindustan Times.

The Hyderabad Badminton Association has reportedly accepted the athlete's request and is hoping that the monetary equivalent of the cost of the car, which has been transferred to her account, will help her get another car better suited to Tripura's roads. A new BMW XI cost costs anything between Rs 30 and Rs 35 lakh.

Karmakar had finish fourth in the vault category at the 2016 Rio Olympics, marking a new beginning for India in the world of global gymnastics.