Govt to set up Sports Training Centre at Tirunelveli

Chennai, Aug 6 (UNI) Tamil Nadu government will set up Indian Sports Council's ''Sports Training Centre'' in Tirunelveli district in the state.

Refuting the opposition AIADMK's charge that the DMK government had shelved the project started by it, Chief Minister M Karunanidhi said as the lands chosen by the previous AIADMK government in Kanniyakumari district were rejected by the Indian Sports Council, the present government had identified 80 acres of land in Tirunelveli for the purpose.

He said the Indian Sports council had visited the land on February 27 this year and given its nod for setting up the training centre. The Tamil Nadu Sports Development authorities had also visited the area and once the process of transfer of lands was completed, the work would begin, he said.

Mr Karunanidhi said Rs one crore, allocated by the centre for the purpose of setting up the training centre was still available and the project was not shelved as alleged by the opposition.

It was the previous AIADMK regime, which had dropped the Nanguneri project envisaged by late Union Minister Murasoli Maran for the development of southern districts.

Referring to the training centre project, he said initially, the AIADMK government selected 5.10 hectares of land in December 2002 and later 15.87 hectares of land in November 2003.

However, as the areas were located on the sea shore, the Indian Sports Council rejected the lands and conveyed its decision to the state government in September 2005.

UNI