TIRUNELVELI: Students of Manonmaniam Sundaranar University (MSU) have urged the government to expedite the long-pending sports village project spanning over 175 acres, announced by the previous AIADMK government, on the university land along Seevalaperi road. They alleged that the site that was once earmarked for the project, is now overgrown with thorny bushes, and that the tennis court constructed there has fallen into disrepair.
Speaking to TNIE, students said that the proposed sports village would open avenues for youth from southern districts to train in various disciplines and prepare them for national and international competitions.
M Vignesh, a youth from Tirunelveli, demanded that the Youth Welfare and Sports Development Department immediately clear the site and provide basic infrastructure and sports equipment so that students can begin using the area as a practice ground. “Though the project was announced by the AIADMK regime, it did not take steps for its execution. The DMK government should now take it forward since the southern districts lack sports infrastructure comparable to that in Chennai,” he said.
When contacted, S Sethu, Head of the Department of Physical Education, MSU, said the university was preparing a revised proposal for the project. “The project was first announced by the then School Education and Sports Minister Ma Foi Pandiarajan in Assembly in 2016. In 2018, the then Higher Education Minister had also talked about this. However, no further progress was made. Meanwhile, the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) constructed a swimming pool on the site without signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with us. As for the tennis court, a dispute between the university and the contractor led to the abandonment of the works,” he said.
MSU Vice-Chancellor N Chandrasekaran said the university had not received any funds from either the state or central governments for the project. “We are preparing a revised proposal and the state government is expected to forward it to the Centre to seek funding,” he added.
District Sports Officer Krishna Chakkaravarthy clarified that the swimming pool was constructed only after obtaining consent from the university.
“It is the responsibility of the MSU administration to clear the bushes on the site,” he said.