NOIDA: Sports enthusiasts in Noida have something to cheer about as the city will soon be home to a shooting range and a multi-purpose indoor stadium. To be readied within the next six months, the projects worth Rs 113 crore are located in Noida’s Sector 21. Measuring about 4,800 sq m, the shooting range will have a practice range allowing more than 40 shooters to hone their skills at a time. The indoor stadium is being built to host 4,000 spectators. The Rs 103 crore worth stadium is being designed to have various fields and courts for sports and other recreational activities.
According to Noida Authority officials, both projects will be completed by September. “The shooting range is 95% complete and the stadium is about 85% done,” said Rajeey Tyagi, General Manager, Projects, Noida Authority. “The shooting range will have a capacity to hold nearly 800 spectators. The plan is to house about 20 shooters on each floor on the world-class range, which will follow design models prevalent in Europe and America. The idea is to make shooting sport accessible to the masses.”
Shooters will not have to travel to Delhi and Haryana for practice, he said, adding that a shooting academy is on the cards.Meanwhile, the stadium will have four storeys spread in an area of 3,700 sq. meters. The size of the arena is estimated to be around 56.5m x 43.5m with a 1.5 meter wide safe space around it.
The facility is designed to have eight badminton courts, 14 table-tennis arenas, two fields each for basketball and handball along with a field for volleyball. There will be also courts for gymnastics, judo, fencing, boxing, weight lifting and taekwondo. The facility will be equipped with a single-level parking in the basement and barrier-free access for the physically challenged visitors. A 20-metre wide green area is also being developed in surrounding area of the stadium.
“Since the existing Noida stadium is already a hub for all sports and recreational activities besides several social and cultural events, the addition of an indoor multi-purpose stadium is bound to increase public enthusiasm and participation,” Tyagi said. The two mega facilties are expected to give a fillip to sports performance of Uttar Pradesh, and add to the sports infrastructure.