Chennai, Sept 2:
The Tamil Nadu government has decided to restructure and remodel the mini stadium scheme in every Assembly constituency, increasing the allocation for each project from Rs 3 crore to between Rs 10 crore and Rs 12 crore.
Sports Development Minister Aadhav Arjuna announced the decision in the Assembly on Tuesday while responding to questions raised by MLAs on sports infrastructure in their constituencies.
Around 23 MLAs raised issues relating to sports facilities during Zero Hour. DMK MLAs Durai Chandrasekaran and Siva V. Meyyanathan specifically sought details on the status of the mini stadium scheme introduced during the previous government.
Aadhav said the existing allocation of Rs 3 crore was inadequate to construct proper stadiums and that the government had therefore decided to restructure the scheme.
He said the locations already identified for the mini stadiums would not be changed.
The Minister also announced plans to construct an international-standard stadium in every district.
He urged MLAs to consider using their constituency development funds for school infrastructure, including toilets and other basic facilities, rather than allocating them for stadium construction.
Citing the mini stadium in Karur, Aadhav said the running track had suffered damage because of inadequate funding.
As part of the revised approach, the government plans to identify one school in every district and develop it as a model school equipped with comprehensive sports infrastructure.
The government’s decision is expected to substantially increase investment in sports infrastructure at both constituency and district levels.