The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Waiting for VIPs, sports articles lie idle

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Thursday, Dec 11, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Waiting for VIPs, sports articles lie idle

R. Arivanantham

Material worth Rs. 12 lakh not distributed to panchayats

Photo: N. Bashkaran.

Dumped articles: Krishnagiri District Sports Officer R. Venkatraman inspecting sports material meant for distribution to local bodies in the district. —

KRISHNAGIRI: As part of the DMK Government’s initiative to give a boost to sports and athletics at the grassroot level, sports material worth Rs. 4.87 crore were sent to 13,179 town panchayats and village panchayats in 31 districts through the Sports Development Authority of Tamilnadu (SDAT).

District sports officers were instructed to distribute the material to all panchayats, town panchayats and municipalities through the ministers in charge of the respective districts or local MPs and MLAs and the district collector.

A meeting was held by the SDAT on November 21. A few district sports officers who distributed the the sports articles on their own were reprimanded by the SDAT member secretary M.R. Mohan for doing so without the consent of the district administration.

The articles have been dumped in the district sports offices in many districts. Reason: no VIPs to distribute them.

All panchayat, town panchayat and municipal chairpersons will be invited to collect the material in person. In some districts block development officers will be asked to collect the material and directed to distribute them to the village panchayats.

Sports items worth Rs. 3,700 (eight items, 18 numbers) will be distributed to the local bodies. These are: two cricket bats, three stumps, three cricket balls, two batting gloves, two leg guards, two volleyball nets, two volleyballs and two footballs.

Dharmapuri District Collector P. Amutha handed over sports material worth Rs. 9,65,700 to 251 village panchayats and 10 town panchayats in eight blocks in the district last month.

Sports stadium

Uthankarai mini sports stadium constructed at a cost of Rs. 30 lakh with all infrastructure is also waiting to be inaugurated by a minister, according to sports lovers. Construction of the stadium was completed a year ago. Though it is not officially opened, children have been using the stadium.

Krishnagiri District Sports Officer R. Venkatraman told The Hindu that sports material worth Rs. 12.80 lakh would be distributed soon to all local bodies through local MP, MLAs and the Collector.

Mr. Venkatraman said construction of swimming pool and indoor stadium was progressing.

Swimming pool would be ready for the summer season, he said.

A sports hostel for boys and girls would be constructed inside the stadium at a cost of Rs. 98 lakh. Recently, a meeting was held by Collector V.K. Shanmugam who wanted the hostel construction work started without any delay.