Swanky sport complexes with Astroturf, shooting range soon

VADODARA: Soon, the city will get swanky sports complexes with state-of-the-art facilities as construction of two sports complexes is expected to begin in March. One of these complexes, the only infrastructure project other than basic amenities in corporation budget this year, will also house a hockey Astroturf the second in the state after Gandhinagar.

So, in the next few months when a mall-like building comes up on New Sama Road, do not mistake it to be one by the facade. The building will in fact one of the two, the indoor sports complex planned there.

Coming up on 3.33 lakh square feet area, the building will have facilities for holding national and international level events for sports like table tennis, badminton and a swimming pool. VMC will be constructing the indoor stadium at a cost of Rs 43 crore. The state government has financed the project from Gujarat Municipal Finance Board.

For hockey players and those working for its revival, the planned Astroturf at the outdoor stadium at Manjalpur has brought great cheer. Coming up at a cost of Rs 25 crore, after construction it will be only the second Astroturf in the state after Gandhinagar. Most national and international tournaments these days are held on Astroturf and not having them has emerged as a major handicap for several states.

"We would be delighted to have the facility. It will be great news for all hockey enthusiasts in the city," said Baroda District Hockey Association (BDHA) president Nilesh Patel. The outdoor stadium will also house a state-of-art shooting range.

"We expect to begin work on the project from March this year. Tenders for construction of both the indoor and outdoor sports complex have been invited. Once the process is over and the standing committee clears them, work can begin," said VMC executive engineer Alpesh Majmudar, who is taking care of the project.

Vadodara mayor Balkrishna Shukla said that the civic body had set itself the target of completing both the sports complexes by May 2011 in the golden jubilee year of Gujarat's statehood. "Finances are not a problem as the state government is supporting us. The complexes are the first step in the direction of nurturing national and international level sports talents from the state," he said.