COIMBATORE: Following Chief Minister MK Stalin’s recent visit to Coimbatore, sources told TNIE that Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin is set to visit the district in the coming weeks and lay the foundation stone for the international hockey stadium that will be built on RS Puram Boys Higher Secondary School’s playground by the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC).
On March 13, Stalin announced that a state-of-the-art hockey stadium will be built in Coimbatore. Based on this, the CCMC identified a location and prepared a DPR for the stadium. The civic body decided to construct the hockey stadium at RS Puram Corporation Higher Secondary School’s playground in the city’s west zone. The DPR was completed and sent to the DMA (Directorate of Municipal Administration) by CCMC, demanding funds and approval for the project. The DMA has sanctioned `9.67 crore for the stadium.
Speaking to TNIE, a senior official of the CCMC’s engineering section said, “The stadium will be built at an estimated cost of `10 crore with all amenities, including a viewing gallery, parking, restrooms and a turf of international standards. The stadium will be spread across 6,500 sq.metres and will have a gallery that can accommodate 300 spectators in the initial phase. In future, the capacity can be increased.”
As each game will require around 20,000 litres of water, the CCMC has set up a borewell and a storage tank at a capacity of 1 lakh litres. Drainage has also been constructed and will be further improved to meet international standards. The final call on whether the CCMC or SDAT (Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu) will maintain the stadium will be taken later, the official added.
CCMC sources revealed that the deputy CM, who is also the minister for Youth Welfare, Sports Development and Special Programme Implementation, will lay the foundation stone. The CCMC has finalised the contractor and is all set to issue a work order to start the project. The project is expected to be complete in a year.
Sources added that Coimbatore in-charge Minister V Senthil Balaji and Municipal Administration & Water Supply Minister KN Nehru are expected to visit the ground identified for the hockey stadium, next week.