In a step towards further development of high-class sports infrastructure, Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju laid the foundation of a synthetic athletics track, a 330-bed girls hostel and the kitchen and dining hall, along with a gymnasium complex at NSSC Bangalore. He was joined by KC Narayana Gowda, Minister of State, Youth Empowerment and Sports, Government of Karnataka.
The Synthetic Athletic track coming up at the centre is an 8-lane 400m track with two additional straight lanes. It is an IAAF certified track for Class 1, Category 5. Besides this, the project includes 500m clay track and a 100m sand track for high performance training. The project is due to be completed by the end of 2022 and at a cost of Rs 13.86 crores under the Khelo India budget.
The girls hostel coming up is a Grounds +5 facility with 110 rooms with attached bathrooms with a total built up area of 7,170 square kms. The project is due to be completed by the end of March 2022 at a cost of Rs 29.46 crores under both the National Sports Development Fund and Khelo India budget.
The upgradation of the kitchen and dining hall will see the already existing infrastructure upgraded whereby the kitchen will provide 1500 meals per session. The project is due to be completed by March 2022 at a cost of Rs 2.3 crores under the Khelo India budget.
The Sports Minister has inaugurated a new modern gymnasium complex to specifically address the needs of the hockey campers residing at SAI NSSC Bangalore. It will have a modern gym with anti-skid rubber flooring and a variety of strength and conditioning equipment. It will also have a physiotherapy cum massage room and a separate changing area for both men's and women's teams. The project will be completed at a cost of Rs 4.41 crores.
Also present for the event were Regional Director, SAI Bengaluru Captain Ajay Bahl, Indian men's hockey captain Manpreet Singh, 23-time World Billiards and Snooker champion and Padma Bhushan awardee Pankaj Adv and KP Mahadevswamy, CEO, HSCL who will be the project managers and consultants for the project.
Leading athletes, including those who have qualified for the Olympics, like Rakshita Raju, KT Irfan, Avinash Sable, Sandeep Kumar, Priyanka Goswami, Bhavna Jat, Sonal Sukhwal as well as coaches Gurmeet Singh and Captain Amrish Kumar, were felicitated at the event.
Manpreet Singh spoke for the hockey fraternity when he said this new gymnasium would help the entire team train with a range of new world-class equipment.
"Some of the equipment is especially beneficial for strengthening the lower body. This is a great addition for the team just before the Olympics," he said.
( With inputs from ANI )
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