Dilapidated shooting range to become worldclass academy
LMC officials say they are fine with sports minister’s proposal of a shooting academy, but want to retain ownership
LUCKNOW :The shooting range of the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC), which has been lying useless for the past decade, will soon be converted into a world-class shooting academy with modern facilities, for training budding shooters.
Sports and youth welfare minister Chetan Chauhan had announced on Sunday that the range would be revamped. “The shooting range of the municipal corporation will be converted into an academy. The effort is to make it a first-of-its-kind shooting academy in the state,” he had said.
Chauhan had also said that the government wanted to take over the operations and the management of the range. He said he had moved a file in this regard and had also informed the chief minister.
Reacting to the announcement, LMC officials said they had heard about the proposal from media reports and were not averse to the idea of such a shooting academy. However, they added, the municipal corporation would want to retain the ownership of the range.
Additional municipal commissioner Anil Mishra said, “Yes, the shooting range was lying useless and the motive of having a range in the city was
getting defeated. But LMC wants to run it professionally and needs everyone’s help in that. If the minister of sports has some plans then we are ready for that. Our only condition is we want to keep the ownership with the LMC and run everything under our control.”
The municipal corporation also expressed interest in being a partner in developing shooting as a sport.
“The range was planned over an 80-acre area keeping the future in mind. There was a plan to set up a five-star hotel and a hostel for the trainees. If the state government wants this, we will welcome it,” said another LMC official on condition of
anonymity.
“The academy was set up in 2008. Since then, the LMC has been crying out for help from the state government. Now, the government wants to set up an academy, which is fine, but this does not mean that the municipal corporation should lose the ownership,” he added.
Earlier, the sports minister had said that the shooting academy proposal was final, as it was important to utilise the existing structure.
“At present, shooters of UP have to go to Delhi or other cities for practice. Once the academy comes up, local talent can be harnessed and nurtured in Lucknow itself,” he had said.