The newly carpeted synthetic track of a basketball court at the Mahavir Stadium in Hisar has developed cracks—five days after the completion of the work at a cost of Rs 1.5 crore.

Taking serious note of the matter, Haryana Olympic Association (HOA) president Jaswinder Meenu Beniwal wrote to the Sports Department, seeking an immediate inquiry and action against the officials and agencies responsible.

However, a Sports Department official said the court had been repaired by the same agency. The surface of the synthetic court developed cracks and peeled off within five days of installation. Some sportspersons pointed this out to the authorities, after which the matter was taken up by the HOA with the government.

Sources said the Sports Department had released almost the entire payment to the company. Since the project is still under the three-year warranty period, the contractor carried out the repair work, a senior official of the department said.

The officials said it seemed that the crust of the court was damaged due to the accumulation of rainwater. The court has been locked and remains closed until further directions. In a letter to the government, the HOA has stated that the incident not only raised questions over the quality of construction but also cast doubts on whether the prescribed technical standards had been followed.