THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With little over a month left for handing over the 35th National Games venues, the works for the installation of floodlights and synthetic athletics track at the Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium here is yet to shift through the gears.
The stadium, owned and operated by the Kerala Police Sports and Youth Welfare Society, is to host the cycle polo competition as well as act as a practice venue for athletics events for the Games.
However, the progress of construction works at the stadium are hanging fire as the erection of the light masts are yet to be carried out by the Kerala Police which is also in turn disrupting the laying of synthetic track around the stadium.
The National Games Secretariat are partnering the project for installing the floodlights by providing financial assistance, but it is the Kerala Police Housing Co-operative Society (KPHCS), a wing of the Kerala Police, that has to install the lights.
“As heavy cranes would be involved in lifting the masts, it would not be wise to lay the track before it as the movement of the cranes are bound to damage the delicate synthetic surface,” said N Mohan Kumar, chief engineer at the National Games.
“We have been sending requests to the Police to speed up the works from their part which is already lagging behind,” said another National Games official.
When contacted, Police officials said that the towers are on their way from Mumbai and will reach the site during the week. “Once the towers are here the installation will begin in no time,” said S Ganeshan of KPHCS.
Bajaj Electricals are contracted to install the lighting at a cost of Rs 2.5 crore. National Games will contribute Rs 2.35 crore to the work while the rest will be funded by the Police.
“All works connected with the floodlights will be completed by December 25 and the stadium will be handed over to the authorities by then,” Ganeshan added.
Meanwhile, Gopi Mohan, administrative manager of the stadium, said that the erection of floodlights will take place at night to avoid traffic congestion. “You would have to block traffic along one side of the road at Palayam to erect the floodlight there,” he said.
“We will proceed with the works after 10 pm and it will just be a matter of few hours causing little or no disruption,” he added.