Now, book GHMC sports facility through App

In a novel way to promote sports culture in the city and put its vast sports infrastructure to optimum use, the Hyderabad civic body has come up with a mobile app through which educational institutions and individuals can book sports facilities in advance.
"A user-friendly Application is prepared, whereby any school can book sports facility of GHMC online for benefit of their students on a nominal cost basis - the emphasis being on making use of the sports facility for the benefit of students, rather than to generate income out of the facility," a Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) official said.

The GHMC has 12 sports complexes, seven swimming pools, 521 playgrounds and numerous other facilities. Though many school managements are not averse to encourage sporting activities among their children, the real concern is unavailability of open spaces in the city, the official said.
Additionally, many fitness-conscious citizens are keen on taking up sports or some form of physical activity, the shortage of playgrounds and lung spaces in urban areas is a serious cause for concern and prime constraint in promotion of sports and physical activity among the citizens, he said.
This gave rise to "some out-of-box thinking" by GHMC to make use of its sports infrastructure, the official said.

According to the new policy, general citizens, including IT employees and businessmen, can make use of the facilities at "staggered timings".
Educational institutions can book the sports facilities on weekdays and government schools can avail the facilities free of cost on every Friday, the official said.
On weekends, the sports grounds, especially indoor stadiums, would be given to individuals or organisations on a nominal 'pay and play' basis, he added.