CHENNAI: Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Friday inaugurated sports facilities worth `4.62 crore and laid the foundation stone for other sports and allied infrastructure projects to the tune of `19.56 crore.
She also handed out cash prizes worth `41.5 lakh to three sportspersons and eight coaches for medals won in international sporting competitions.
At a function at the Secretariat, Jayalalithaa inaugurated, through video conferencing, three indoor badminton courts at the Nehru Park sports complex at a cost of `1.2 crore and four indoor badminton courts at the Velachery swimming pool complex at a cost of `1.5 crore. Both sets of courts come equipped with flood lights, viewers gallery and administrative office.
She also inaugurated a 400 metre athletics track, foot ball ground, basket ball court, handball court, weight lifting room, and administrative office worth `1.32 crore in Thiruvallur district and a 5,500 square feet sports hostel at a capacity of 60 boarders with kitchen and mess in Thanjavur district.
Jayalalithaa also laid the foundation stone for an indoor squash court, water treatment swimming pool for differently-abled, two basket ball courts and two hand ball courts built at a cost of `12 crore at the Nehru Indoor Stadium Complex, besides three badminton courts at a cost of `1.2 crore in Thiruvallur district and a cycle track worth `6.4 crore at the Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University in Melkottaiyur in Kanchipuram district.
The CM also honoured RM Pyara, who won a gold medal in the second Asian Junior Kabaddi Tournament held in 2006 in Malaysia with a cash prize of `5 lakh. She also handed over cash prizes of `10 lakh each to G Narayan Surya, bronze winner at the second International Tennikoit Tournament in Germany in 2010, and S Nooruddin, bronze winner in the wheelchair fencing contest at the 2010 Asian Para Games in China.
Jayalalithaa also honoured eight coaches whose wards had won medals in different events at the 19th Commonwealth Games in New Delhi and the 16th Asian Games in China. She handed over prize money of `16.5 lakh to coaches Mohammed Riyaz, Syed Ali Hussaini, A Muralidhar Rao, A Srinivasa Rao, S Raman, Nagam Prasad, Chirstopher A Anas and K Vishveshwaran.
Sports and Youth Welfare Minister Dr S Sundararaj, chief Secretary Mohan Verghese Chunkath, Government Advisor Sheela Balakrishnan, Youth Welfare and Sports Development Secretary Md Nasimuddin and SDAT Member Secretary VK Jeyakodi were among those present at the function.