Dateline Prayagraj: Sports infrastructure set to get mega push

A new international-level Astroturf hockey ground is set to be completed in Sangam city by June 2023, as part of the Prayagraj Smart City initiative. Additionally, a mini-indoor stadium is being built near the Amitabh Bachchan Sports Complex at a cost of ₹30 crore, and a rural mini stadium has already been completed in Jasra block. Mini stadiums have also been constructed in four more blocks of the district, and open air gyms are being set up in every village with the support of MNREGA, District Panchayati Raj and the Youth and Sports departments.

Sports infrastructure is set to get a mega boost in Sangam city, in the days to come.

The Astroturf hockey ground in Prayagraj (HT Photo)

The city is all set to get its first international-level Astroturf hockey ground by June 2023.

Being constructed at a cost of ₹7.7 crore under the Prayagraj Smart City initiative, this ground is almost ready in the Science Faculty campus of Allahabad University (AU), a senior official of Prayagraj Smart City Limited said.

This new ground, measuring 91.40 x 55 metres, will allow international level hockey competitions to get organised in Sangam city for the first time, he added.

Meanwhile, the Prayagraj Development Authority (PDA) has started construction work of a mini-indoor stadium near the Amitabh Bachchan Sports Complex at a cost of ₹30 crore.

At the golden jubilee celebrations of the Amitabh Bachchan Sports Complex in October 2022, chief minister Yogi Adityanath had announced the mini stadium as a gift to the city. Vijay Vishwas Pant, divisional commissioner, Prayagraj, said that the Prayagraj Municipal Corporation (PMC) has already provided land for the construction of the proposed mini stadium. The construction has started, and it will be built on an area spread across 3,500 square metres, he added.

This rural mini stadium has facilities for practice of both indoor and outdoor sports. In this, training will also be given for a dozen sports including badminton, volleyball, kabaddi, athletics and wrestling. This stadium has been constructed by Uttar Pradesh State Construction and Infrastructure Development Corporation (UPSIDC).

Apart from this, mini stadiums have also been constructed in four more blocks of the district: Shankargarh, Handia, Koraon and Chaka. A large number of players have already started practicing here, Upadhyay said.

In Prayagraj, with the support of MNREGA, District Panchayati Raj and the Youth and Sports departments, the process of setting open air gyms in every village has also started. According to Pant, the land survey for this exercise has been completed by the district administration already.