A slew of sports infrastructure development work worth ₹2 crore have been lined up in the new year.
The long-standing wish of players for a spacious residential facility at the Sardar Patel (SP) Stadium is expected to be fulfilled in 2019 with the district administration sanctioning ₹84 lakh for the construction of first floor in the stadium.
It is likely to serve the accommodation needs of the players attending various sports tournaments such as the School Games Federation championships at the stadium. It will also help overcome lodging crunch being faced by players of the Athletics Academy at the stadium, sources said.
Aiming right
The Sports Authority of India’s extension centre for archery is also likely to become operational at the stadium. An amount of ₹8.60 lakh has been sanctioned from Crucial Balancing Fund by Collector R.V. Karnan for construction of a playfield for archers and a safety wall with fencing around the facility. Plans are afoot to fix the leaking roof of the indoor stadium housing four wooden shuttle-badminton courts.
Indoor stadium
The town will get a new indoor stadium in the new year. Foundation stone has already been laid for the new facility at the Pavilion Grounds located near the R&B Guest House in the heart of the town. An amount of ₹1 crore had been earmarked from the Khammam Municipal Corporation (KMC) funds for its construction.
The long-delayed construction of mini-stadiums, one each at Wyra, Cheruvumadharam, Madhira and Lachagudem, in the district is expected to gain pace soon.
Mr. Karnan, who is the chairman of the District Sports Development Authority (DSDA), has set a four-month deadline for completion of the four mini-stadiums, the construction of which was taken up at an estimated cost of ₹10.64 crore, sources added.
Synthetic turf
Proposals for laying synthetic surface for kabaddi and badminton on synthetic mats at the SP Stadium are being readied for submission to the government as per the instructions issued by the Collector, said M. Parandhama Reddy, District Youth and Sports Officer, Khammam.
The SP Stadium is poised to undergo a major transformation in terms of sports infrastructure and other amenities for players in the new year, he said.
