NELLORE: Endowments Minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy on Sunday laid the foundation for a state-of-the-art sports development centre in Atmakur, which he said would become the district’s premier facility to nurture rural talent.
The centre, planned across 20 acres near Gurukula School, will be built at an initial cost of Rs 1.80 crore. Anam said the project is designed with future needs in mind and is expected to be completed within six months. He recalled that as Finance Minister in 2013, he sanctioned Rs 2 crore for a sports ground in Atmakur, but subsequent governments neglected the work.
“Now, under our government, the project has been revived with Rs 1.80 crore,” he said. The Minister added that additional funds would be mobilised from both the Centre and the state to upgrade the facility into a world-class stadium. He expressed confidence that the stadium would help identify and train young athletes, urging physical education teachers to take an active role in nurturing talent. Sharing his own experience as a basketball player at VR College, he encouraged students to work hard to achieve success.
Later, Reddy inspected forest department lands near Andhra Engineering College, where the Nagaravanam (Urban Forest) project will be developed. He said the initiative would serve as a “green necklace” for Atmakur, providing clean air and recreational space for residents.
The government has sanctioned Rs 1.40 crore for the project, with Rs 98 lakh already released. The first phase will cover 100 acres and include walking tracks, outdoor gym equipment, solar lighting, and themed parks such as a snake park and coffee park.