Sports Minister Shri Kiren Rijiju inaugurated a residential hostel in the premises of the Dr. Karni Singh shooting range, here on Thursday. The 162-bed hostel has an air conditioned dining area. The entire facility has been created at a cost of ₹12.26 crore, stated a press release from the Sports Authority of India (SAI).
“Our athletes represent the country at the Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, they must have a standard of living where basic facilities are provided,” Rijiju said.
He added that going forward, there should be a separate girls hostel as well. “Shooting being a priority sport, we have to take all the necessary steps for the shooters,” he said. The 2018 Commonwealth Games gold-medallist Anish Bhanwala lauded the inauguration of the facility.
“We have always had a very good shooting range but we were lacking a hostel as a result of which we had to stay outside the premises. We can now train in the morning and afternoon session with the hostel being there,” he said.