The Tirunelveli Smart City Limited, which is executing development projects worth over ₹ 900 crore in Tirunelveli and Palayamkottai under the Smart City programme, has submitted six new proposals, totally costing about ₹ 67.11 crore for clearance from the Smart City Board which will meet in Chennai on February 13.
Of this, the most important proposal is a multi-purpose indoor stadium with 6,504 square metre area at a cost of ₹14.95 crore inside the VOC Stadium at Palayamkottai.
Built in 1965, the VOC Stadium, an open ground with six galleries on the eastern and western sides of the 3.10 acre sports arena, is being used for conducting volleyball, football, hockey or kabaddi matches and Independence Day and Republic Day celebrations also. Moreover, the stadium attracts a good number of walkers in the morning and in the evening.
Being an educational hub that has produced a good number of State, national and international sportsmen, the city should have an indoor stadium, which will fulfil players’ ambitions and fine-tune their skills. Accordingly, proposals have been sent for creating modern indoor courts for badminton (2), basketball (1), volleyball (1), tennis (1), table tennis (3), billiards (2) and chess and carrom (5) with necessary flooring facility apart from other allied requirements like dressing and rest rooms.
It has been proposed to spend ₹ 90.80 lakh to provide modern flooring which would save sportsmen from career-threatening injuries. Moreover, kids play area, walking track, administrative office, reverse osmosis drinking water, temporary seating, refreshment kiosks, material gallery-cum-storeroom, CCTV facilities, landscaping and parking facilities will be created in the sports arena.
Chief Executive Officer, Tirunelveli Smart City Limited, V. Narayanan Nair and Corporation Commissioner G. Kannan said the remaining five proposals pertain to creation of science park near Vaeinthaankulam new bus stand, widening of road with median from Sudalai Kovil to STC College Road, improvement of driveway and bus bay in new bus stand, reclamation of garbage yard at Ramaiyanpatti through bio-mining process, procurement of vehicles for solid and liquid waste management.
They expressed the hope that all six proposals would get nod of the board.