Expansion of SAI centre soon
NEW MOVE Facilities for national campers and locals would be doubled at the regional centre
LUCKNOW: Sporting infrastructure at the Sports Authority of India’s (SAI) regional centre here is all set to be doubled as the authorities concerned have sought additional 50 acres of land for the centre’s expansion.
Once it is expanded, the centre will have additional facilities of 300-beded hostel, indoor hall for the smooth conduct of the basketball, volleyball, handball, kabaddi and kho-kho camps and that too for maximum 330 days a year for national campers.
“We have already begun the process to have additional 50 acres of land for the expansion of the centre and even the SAI bosses too have given a go ahead for this,” SAI’s regional director Rajinder Singh told HT on Thursday.
While justifying the expansion, Singh claimed that in 2009 the sub-centre was upgraded to regional centre and as per the norms it should be developed in 100 acre space. “This regional centre is already constructed on 52 acres of land, and if we get the additional 50 acres of land (which is available in Sainik School), the facilities here would be doubles for the sportspersons.”
“Once we have 600-beded hostel facility here, we would be able to make maximum use of the infrastructure and even camps for juniors too could be organised. We have plans to follow the 330 days training schedule of the Government of India,” he said.
“We are conducting kabaddi and
kho-kho training in the open space and once we have one more multipurpose hall, we could conduct camps for basketball, volleyball, handball, etc,” he added.
“This will not only help the national campers but the sportspersons of Uttar Pradesh would also be benefited as they always remain on top of our priorities.”
The newlyconstructed Olympic-sized pool (worth Rs 2.30 crore) at the centre, which was made operational just last month, is now a big advantage for the campers as well as routine sportspersons.
“It was being constructed for the last 10 years and because of a technical flaw, everything had come to a standstill. But I made sure the pool was completed as soon as I joined back here a few months ago,” said Singh.
“It was a long standing demand of the national campers and now our regular trainees as well as the people of Lucknow can use this pool on a regular basis.”
He, however, confirmed that soon the synthetic hockey astro turf would also be replaced with the blue one. A sum of over Rs 7 crore has already been sanctioned and soon the work for the relaying of a new turf will begin. The old one was laid in 2005 and as per the norms it should have been replaced in 2012.
The work is also in progress for the construction of synthetic athletics track. “In the mid of the track, there would be a football practice field and I am sure that within a few months time we will see our athletes running on a new track,” said Singh, an ex-inmate of the state government-run Sports College here.
He also informed that SAI’s weightlifting centre at the Guru Govind Singh Sports College would be hosting All-India Inter-SAI Championship for both men and women from October 12 to 14. Over 150 lifters, including officials from nine regions, are expected to participate in it.