Soon Greater Noida villages will have sports facilities

GREATER NOIDA: Sports facilities will no longer be restricted to residential sectors of Greater Noida, as the city’s development authority is all set to develop a sports ground with allied services in the villages notified in its area. To start with, amenities like courts for badminton, volleyball and kabaddi, wrestling rings, 1.5-metre-wide racing tracks, open gyms and play areas will be provided in five villages, officials have said.
While the design has been approved, tenders for the project worth Rs 1 crore will be floated soon. Apart from these, two sports arenas in the Sector 37 sports complex will be developed for wrestling rings at a cost of Rs 60 lakh. Tendering for these is under process.
“We have identified five villages in the first phase, where sports facilities will be provided. These villages are Pali, Khodna Khurd, Chuharpur, Saini and Dhoom Manikpur. After this, facilities will be developed in other villages by marking sports grounds. We plan to start construction work before the code of conduct for next year’s assembly polls kicks in,” said an official from GNIDA.
Further, from the four hectares of space earmarked for a sports complex in Sector 37, a wrestling court will be built in a 50 x 15 metre area, which will include two rings. “These two rings will be of 12x12 sqm size, where one will be soft and the other hard. Apart from these, there will also be a changing room with toilets and a spectator gallery,” said the official, adding that about Rs 60 lakh will be spent on its construction.
Narendra Bhooshan, CEO of GNIDA, said, “Under ‘Khelo India’ programme, we have begun development of sports facilities in the villages under Greater Noida. I have directed the planning department to identify the villages where vacant spaces are available so that sports facilities can be developed there. This will increase the inclination of the children of the villages towards sports and children from here will be able to represent the district, state and at the national level.”