GHAZIABAD: The state’s expenditure finance committee approved a budget of Rs 108 crore on Monday for a multi-purpose sports complex in Nandgram, near Rajnagar Extension, under the smart city project. The complex will occupy GMC land spanning 48,000sqm, and will be designed for 22 indoor and outdoor sports.
“The complex will have six tennis courts, nine badminton courts, two squash courts, basketball courts, and semi-Olympic size swimming pools, box cricket, and a practice pitch for cricket, among other sports. The complex can also hold national-level tournaments,” said municipal commissioner Vikramaditya Singh Malik.
Additionally, a state-of-the-art gymnasium, a convention centre that will accommodate 750 people, and eight shops will also come up within the complex. The parking lot of the complex will accommodate 400 vehicles at a time.
“Construction and design services will develop the complex, and from the date of tendering, it is expected to be ready in 18 months. The facility will go a long way in grooming sports talent not only from Ghaziabad but also from adjoining districts,” Malik added.
In 2014, an international cricket stadium was set to come up in the city as per plans by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
However, the project never took off at the time due to differences over FAR with the GDA, despite CM Yogi Adityanath announcing the project in 2018.
“Barring Mahamaya Stadium and a sporting complex in Nehru Nagar, the city doesn’t really have proper sporting arenas where players and athletes can train. In a few places, parks have been refurbished to give them the look of a stadium, like the one we see in Indirapuram abutting DME or the ones which are inbuilt in highrise societies. So, a sports complex that offers multiple sports under one roof will give a much-needed boost to the sports culture in the city,” said Mohan Singh, a Ghaziabad-based sports instructor.
From cricket to badminton & tennis: Ghaziabad set to get a complex for 22 sports | Noida News
