Sports City to come up near Punpun at expenditure of Rs 574cr: Minister

Patna: Sports minister Shreyasi Singh has asked officials to expedite work on the proposed Dumri Sports City project near Punpun. She said the sports city would be developed on 100 acres of land at an estimated cost of Rs 574 crore. A proposal for the project has already been submitted to the Patna district magistrate and the district land acquisition officer.Senior officials from various departments who attended the review meeting on Thursday included development commissioner Mihir Kumar Singh, sports department secretary Vinod Singh Gunjiyal, Bihar State Sports Authority director general-cum-chief executive officer Ravindran Sankaran, building construction department secretary Pranav Kumar, panchayati raj department secretary Manoj Kumar and rural development department secretary Pankaj Kumar.The development commissioner said two separate teams had studied sports infrastructure models in Ahmedabad and Odisha to help ensure the project’s effective implementation. He directed officials to engage expert consultants before initiating the construction tender process so the project could be developed with national-level standards and facilities. He also instructed officials to conduct monthly reviews of the Dumri Sports City project and develop its various components in phases based on priority.Shreyasi said Dumri Sports City would emerge as a major hub for sports development in Bihar and create significant opportunities for the expansion of sports, training, the sports industry and allied activities in the surrounding region.A proposal was also placed before the meeting to include players selected by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for the Indian senior men’s and women’s teams under the general administration department and sports department’s ‘Medal Lao, Naukri Pao’ scheme. If approved, such players would become eligible for Level-9 govt jobs.The meeting decided to operationalise district centres of excellence in Arwal, Madhepura and Kishanganj on June 15. These centres will provide residential training in kabaddi, badminton and taekwondo respectively. In addition, football centres of excellence will be developed in Siwan, Munger and Jamui. The meeting also reviewed the activation of panchayat sports clubs and discussed employment opportunities for athletes in the state.