Faridkot to have govt shooting range soon

₹6.5 lakh has been released to initiate the construction work while the remaining amount will be provided by the district planning board.

The state government is planning to set up a shooting range at the Nehru stadium in Faridkot district. This will be the first such government-run facility in the district. As per information, ₹6.5 lakh has been released to initiate the construction work while the remaining amount will be provided by the district planning board.

Officials during inspection at the Nehru stadium in Faridkot on Sunday.

Local players, inspired by the achievements of noted shooter Sift Kaur Samra, have been demanding a shooting range from the state government. Sift Kaur Samra, who had created history by breaking the world record on her way to winning the gold in the women’s 50m rifle three position event at the Asian Games in Hangzhou last year and also participated in the ongoing Paris Olympics, hails from Faridkot.

Sukhjeet Singh Dhilwan, charman of the district planning board, said, chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann-led Punjab government is always committed to the betterment of sportsmen. “The main objective of the Punjab government is to provide a high-level environment to the players of Punjab and to bring the name of the country to light by taking them to the international level. The government is making all possible efforts to achieve this goal. There is no shooting range in the district so players are finding it difficult to practice,” he said.

He said that to fulfill this demand, he visited the local Nehru stadium and discussed to develop a shooting range. He said the project would be taken up soon for which ₹6.5 lakh has been provided. He said the remaining expenditure will be released by the district planning board.