By Aryan Khartad IT TOOK 12 long years of on-and-off construction and relentless bureaucratic nudging but Kamptee’s newest sports complex is finally a reality. Handed over to Orange City Sports Development LLP, which will handle its operations, on Monday, the initial Rs 12 crore Zilla Krida Sankul in Gada is ready for action. At the outset, a massive Rs 109.15 crore additional grant has just been cleared at the Mantralaya, paving the way to quietly transform this brand-new rural complex into an elite, international-standard sporting hub. The road to completion has been long with the project’s foundation stone laid way back in 2014. Speaking to ‘The Hitavada’, Pallavi Dhatrak, District Sports Officer (DSO) and Deputy Director of Sports and Youth Services, explained that administrative hurdles kept the facility in limbo for the last four to five years. “The handover of the Krida Sankul was pending since the past 4-5 years, the badminton courts and running tracks were not in a condition for playing at that moment,” Dhatrak said during an interview on Tuesday. “We had to nag the Public Works Department in order to get the work done properly according to our demands,” she added. Thanks to that persistent pushing, the initial Rs 12 crore phase is fully complete. The indoor section boasts a premium multipurpose hall featuring a wooden court alongside dedicated set-ups for a badminton court, table tennis and kabaddi.

 

The indoor section is equipped with a spectator gallery from all three sides with arrangements for player lounges and restroom facilities for the audience. “A professional gymnasium worth Rs 70 lakh has also been constructed inside the premises. On the outdoor front, a 400m clay running track has been constructed inside which a natural grass ground is present alongside a dedicated clay hockey ground. “The entire campus is secured by a compound wall featuring two gated entries and internal roads fitted with street lights that lead to a paved parking lot accommodating 400 to 500 cars,” Dhatrak explained. Another major update came from Sunday’s High-Power Committee (HPC) meeting at the Mantralaya. Headed by the Chief Secretary of the PWD, the committee officially allocated Rs 109.15 crores for further upgradation at the Gada complex. “In an HPC meeting on Sunday at the Mantralaya, the CS of PWD allocated 109.15 crores for further upgradation works at the Gada sports complex,” Dhatrak informed. “Under this newly sanctioned grant, the current clay running track will be converted into a synthetic running track and the hockey ground will be transformed into an AstroTurf ground. Both fields will be fitted with costly, high-power lux high-mast lights for night events along with dedicated player lounges and spectator galleries.”

 

To turn the complex into a residential training centre, the plan includes the construction of separate hostels for boys and girls. “Hostel buildings with a capacity to house 300 boys and girls respectively are to be constructed to facilitate longer tournaments and longer training camps. A ground-plus-one-level multipurpose sporting hall will also be built featuring a reception counter, along with 10m 10-range indoor shooting range, a gymnastics hall and a yoga hall,” Dhatrak said. “The outdoor expansion will add a 70m archery lane with a player lounge, 25m and 50m outdoor shooting ranges, a mini-golf set-up and open fields hosting two courts each for kabaddi, kho kho and volleyball. New sports equipment will also be procured under this funding,” she added. Despite its location in Kamptee Taluka, Dhatrak emphasised that this world-class infrastructure belongs entirely to the mainstream sports community of Nagpur. “The sankul is for Nagpurkars, this is a district club, just because it is located in Kamptee doesn’t mean it is not for Nagpurkars,” Dhatrak assured. “Clubs and schools from Nagpur are more than welcome to have their competitions and camps at the same,” she stated. By opening this massive campus to local academies, the DSO is actively shifting the centre of gravity for regional sports. With the care-taking agency officially taking charge, the stage is set for Gada to transition from a quiet construction site into a bustling nursery for the citys’ future champions.