Sports city in 150 acres near Tirupati

Tirupati: Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs Kollu Ravindra said on Monday the state government will set up a sports city at Surappakasam near Tirupati airport in 150 acres. 

Speaking to the media, Kollu has stated that Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is keen on developing sports cities in Tirupati, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam.

A road map was prepared for developing sports facilities on par with international standards at sports city either in Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode or with the financial support from the government, he informed the media.

Earlier, the Minister inspected badminton courts, a gymnasium and a swimming pool at Srinivasa Sports Complex here. He also interacted with badminton players and swimmers and asked their views on sports facilities available to them.

They expressed satisfaction and requested the Minister to provide them more advanced sports infrastructure in the complex. For few minutes, Ravindra has played badminton with local players. 

The Minister assured officials of converting the present swimming pool into an international one and also to provide hostel facility for outstation players in the complex to practise sports.

He mentioned that the central government will be developing sports infrastructure for women players at Sri Padmavathi Mahila Visvavidyalayam (SPMVV) in Tirupati at a cost of Rs 40.62 crore under the ‘Khelo India’ scheme.

To a question, Kollu has said the government will seek approval of the BCCI for constructing an international cricket stadium near Tirupati. District Sports Authority S Lakshmi, MCT Engineer B Chandrashekar and coaches were present.