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A stadium gets a facelift
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SPORTS After a long gap, Nehru Stadium is set for a new look
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PHOTO: M. PERISAMY
MAKEOVER TIME: The bays of Nehru Stadium being spruced up
Six months from now, Nehru Stadium, the pride of every sportsperson in Coimbatore, will sport a new look. The makeover men are already on the job to give a new look to the stadium in its first major facelift in over 30 years.
The Member Secretary of the Chennai wing of the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT), P.W.C. Davidar, who was in Coimbatore last week, said experts were working on the bays and the drainage system that have been troubling authorities for years now.
"Plugging the gaps is our prime concern. We have completed work in 10 bays. The rest is expected to be over in three months. We only hope the rains do not hamper our progress."
Repair work on the stadium's 110 bays will cost the sports body close to Rs. 19 lakhs. It's expensive because the material (a polyurethane-based sealant) is imported from Master Builders Technologies in the U.S.
Navie Teknokem (Coimbatore), which has more than 20 years' experience in concrete protection, is working on the project. Earlier attempts by several companies to plug the gaps have proved futile. Navie Teknokem proprietor V. Natarajan said, "We carried out a sample bay test in February last year. The test was conducted when the city witnessed heavy showers. Our material withstood the rains"
"This work is going to cost us a lot of money, but we cannot turn a blind eye to the condition of the stadium. Something has to be done sooner or later," said Mr. Davidar.
The stadium has not been well maintained for many years now. "The problem was that rent could not be collected from shop owners. That has now been solved. So, we've decided to go ahead with our plans to beautify the stadium," he added.
Besides the bays and the drainage, the authority is also keen on setting right the lighting facilities. "The floodlights in both Coimbatore and Madurai are not functional. There are quite a few new sports lighting technologies. We are looking at bringing them here at the earliest."
The sports wing is also looking at setting up dormitory facilities at the stadium. "We have planned two separate dormitories for the boys and girls. This will help players from rural areas stay and train at the stadium," said Raja Mahendran, the SDAT District Sports Officer.
Even as the stadium is being given a facelift, the State Government has sanctioned Rs 2.5 crore for laying synthetic turf.
After all this, what else can the athletes possibly want? "An indoor stadium." There are plans to build one in G.V. Residency, near Sowripalayam, but it remains on paper.
RAYAN ROZARIO
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