District Sports Development Officer P. Ramakrishna on Thursday said shortage of sand in the district was one of the main reasons for the delay in the construction of PYKKA (Panchayat Yuva Kreeda Aur Khel Abhiyan) Bhavans in the mandals and panchayats.
Mr. Ramakrishna, who took charge as DSDO of Krishna district on Wednesday, said works in Penamaluru mandal and in 21 gram panchayats in the district had come to a standstill owing to shortage of sand.
“We have built four bhavans in Avanigadda, Movva, Ibrahimpatnam, and Gudur mandals, each costing Rs.5 lakh, and 29 in various gram panchayats, each costing Rs.1 lakh,” he pointed out. He said these bhavans would be the hub of sporting activity, as the players can use them as change rooms, store equipment, and as a meeting place. “The size of the room in gram panchayat is 10x14 ft and in the mandal the measurement is 25x20 ft,” he added.
Tapping talent
The PYKKA scheme is the brain child of the Central government aimed at spreading the culture of sports and games at the grassroots level.
“The scheme that had come into existence in 2008 will be completed in 2017. In a phased manner, we are deploying coaches, administrators and sprucing up playfields in villages to inspire youth to take up kabaddi, kho kho, volleyball, football, weightlifting, taekwondo, boxing, athletics, and archery.”
Mr. Ramakrishna said he would send a proposal to the higher-ups for appointment of coaches in volleyball and athletics. “Despite the absence of SAAP coaches, the administrators are carrying on the coaching assignments with the help of seniors and veteran players,” he said. Under the government scheme, a stadium costing Rs.1 crore would come up in every Assembly constituency headquarters.
The official earlier worked as DSDO of Guntur, Vizianagaram, and Nellore. He worked as kho kho coach in Chittoor, Prakasam, and West Godavari. He was the AP team coach at the National Games at Hyderabad in 2002 and was awarded best coach award by SAAP in 1998.
