The Hindu : Sport : Govt allots land for Usha School of Athletics

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Oct 12, 2004

Sport

Sport - Sports : General

Govt allots land for Usha School of Athletics

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, OCT. 11. The State Government has decided to lease out 30 acres of land at Kinaloor in Balussery panchayat of Kozhikode district on a long-term basis for the proposed training and hostel complex of the Usha School of Athletics, being run by the former Asian track queen P.T. Usha.

Disclosing this at a press conference here on Monday, the State Sports Minister, Dominic Presentation, said the land, now owned by the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC), was being given on a rent of Rs. 3,000 per year and the lease period would be for 50 years. Formalities with regard to the hand over of the land, which was decided at a meeting held earlier in the day, including getting the State Cabinet's approval would be completed within the next three weeks.

Besides the Minister, the KSIDC Managing Director, P.H. Kurien, the Principal Secretary (Sports), Mohammed Riyazuddin, the Kerala Sports Council secretary, A.J. Rajan, Usha and other senior Government officials also attended the meeting held in the morning.

The Minister said the School would have the right to go in for an outright purchase of the land any time during the lease period.

Until then, the Government would be represented in the managing committee of the School by three of its representatives — the Kozhikode District Collector and a nominee each from the KSIDC and the Sports Department.

Mr. Presentation said the Government appreciated Usha's efforts in training the future generation. "We thought it necessary that a person like Usha needed to be encouraged and that is why we took the initiative to hand over the land to the School, though Usha had not approached the present Government in this regard," he said, referring to how he came into the picture after Usha had made it public that she was planning to shift the School out of Kerala in a recent media interview.

"It would have been a shame for the State, if Usha had taken that extreme step," he said.

A visibly moved Usha, who was also present at the press conference, said she was thankful to the Government in taking steps for the speedy disposal of the land. She said it would take one year to complete the construction activities with regard to the first phase of the project and hoped that she would be able to move the School to its new complex by December 2005 from its current rented premises in Koyilandy.

First phase

Usha said the first phase of the project would include a 40-bedded hostel with all required amenities, an eight-lane clay track and a gymnasium of international standards. Besides a grass track and a swimming pool will also be constructed during the first phase, she said.

Usha said the construction activities will be undertaken by a Bangalore-based firm and the estimated cost for the first phase would be Rs. 10 crore.

"My aim is to help India gain a track and field medal in the 2012 Olympics, " Usha added.

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