VIJAYAWADA: The Indira Gandhi Municipal Corporation (IGMC) Stadium is set for a comprehensive makeover, with the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP) working on a nearly Rs 60-crore redevelopment plan that will expand its athletics, football, tennis and indoor sporting facilities.
The first phase, involving around Rs 19 crore in Khelo India-funded works at IGMC, is already under execution and is expected to be completed by the second week of November or early December, according to SAAP MD S Bharani.
“First, what we are targeting is the synthetic track. Athletics is very good in Andhra, but somehow, when it comes to synthetic tracks, we have only one at Acharya Nagarjuna University and one is coming up at Kakinada JNTU. So we wanted to come up with a synthetic track from the Khelo India budget,” Bharani said.
The Khelo India approval includes Rs 9.50 crore for a 400-metre, eight-lane synthetic athletics track and 25-metre-high floodlights, Rs 6 crore for an artificial grass football field, Rs 1.50 crore for a tennis court, Rs 92 lakh for a basketball court and Rs 1.08 crore for floodlights for the 200-metre track, basketball and tennis courts.
The larger plan, to be taken up with additional funding from SAAP and the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC), will add facilities for athletics jump and throw events, five tennis courts, gym and yoga facilities and a 200-metre warm-up track.
“Additional budget will also cover the jumps and throw event pitches. We also have planned for tennis courts. We only had three initially, so most of the national-level and ranking tournaments we were not able to conduct. Minimum four is a requirement for such ranking tournaments, so we are coming up with five tennis courts right now,” she said.
An indoor multipurpose facility is also planned, with a modifiable court that can accommodate basketball, volleyball and other sporting events, along with a viewing gallery.
The Rs 6-crore artificial grass football field has completed its granular sub-base work, while the artificial turf and related material have reached the site.
The Rs 1.50-crore tennis court is also under construction. SAAP is also preparing a tender for the gym and yoga facilities.
The 200-metre warm-up track will be taken up as a follow-up component. “Every time there’s a national tournament for 400 metres, you need a 200-metre warm-up track as well. So that is the next thing we are looking at,” Bharani said.
“We will let athletes start practising in the portions where the work is completed. Restrictions will mostly be at places where work is still going on,” Bharani said.
