Madikeri: The District Stadium located here, proposed to be developed into a full-fledged sports and games facility, will be named after the late General, K.S. Thimayya, according to a unanimous decision taken at the District Stadium Committee meeting, held here on Friday.

The decision was announced after a prolonged discussion in the meeting by Deputy Commissioner Subodh Yadav, who chairman of the committee. The meeting also resolved to name the main pavilion of the stadium as "C.V. Shankar Stand." Mr. Shankar has trained some of the best hockey, cricket players and athletes from Kodagu.

Mr. Yadav said the stands of the synthetic hockey turf stadium currently being built in the city would be named after the four Arjuna awardees in hockey from Kodagu — M.P. Ganesh, B.P. Govinda, M.M. Somaiah and A.B. Subbaiah.

Confusion

There was confusion when District Youth Services Officer Suresh read out a communication from the Commissioner of the Department of Youth Services and Sports, received on March 12, asking him to take steps to spend the Rs. 1 crore sanctioned by the Government to Kodagu, on the construction of an indoor stadium. A previous communication had stated that the money should be utilised for construction of the District Stadium, which is an outdoor stadium. Mr. Yadav wondered how could an indoor stadium be constructed with Rs. 1 crore.

Mr. Yadav asked Executive Engineer of the Panchayat Raj engineering works Keshava Murthy to prepare a detailed plan and estimate for utilising the Rs. 1 crore. Works such as drainages, fencing, roof for the existing gallery, preventing leakage of roofs in the rooms, currently housing the Sports Authority of India (SAI) trainees should be considered.

Mr. Yadav wanted to know why Rs. 2 lakh of the Rs. 6-lakh proposed to be spent for development of the district stadium or the taluk stadiums under the zilla panchayat was diverted to develop school playgrounds. The meeting decided to urge the zilla panchayat to re-appropriate the Rs. 2 lakh. A decision was also taken to write to the State Government to re-allocate a sum of Rs. 5.31 lakh, back to the District Stadium Committee, which was frozen and taken away by the State Government.

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