Big boost to sports in ATP

Anantapur: Sports development is given top priority and sports infrastructure is getting a face lift in the district with the involvement of the District Sports Authority and other departments concerned. Rural Development Trust (RDT) is playing a crucial role in the promotion of sports in schools and colleges.

The local RDT stadium itself has excellent facilities and coaches apart from extending sports tools free of cost to the poor and needy. The Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP), as part of its policy, has already developed 4 out of 10 stadiums in different mandals. Each stadium constructed at a cost of Rs 2 crore each.

In the first phase, the SAAP sanctioned four green field stadiums in the district at a cost of Rs 2.1 crore each. The 4 stadiums constructed in the Assembly constituencies of Kalyandurg, Singanamala, Raptadu and Penukonda.

Also, Rs 8.4 crore for the construction of four more stadiums at Narpala in Singanamala constituency, Kalyandurg town in Kalyandurg constituency, Ramagiri in Raptadu constituency and Penukonda town in Penukonda constituency had been set apart. Besides, Rs 15 crore had been released for the construction of Kodi Ramamurthy stadium in the city and construction is in progress. 

The sports facilities in the stadiums include indoor stadium, pavilion building, shopping complex and play fields for basketball, volleyball, lawn tennis, kabaddi, kho-kho, cricket and 200 metre athletic track.

DSA Chairman and Collector Veera Pandian told The Hans India that four stadiums, all in rural areas built by the SAAP would boost rural sports and raise several sportsmen and women. He called upon all sports lovers to take full advantage of the sports facilities in the district and help groom rural sports persons and talent. 

District Sports Development Officer Jaganath Reddy told The Hans India that youngsters in rural schools and colleges are highly talented and energetic. One can see young boys and girls playing cricket without sports kits. The rural youth can be seen using tree vertical branch stems as wickets and similar wooden sticks resembling a bat and playing the game with utmost dedication, he stated.