Chief Minister envisions Nellore as a sports hub: SAAP Chairman

Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP) Chairman Animini Ravi Naidu inspecting the pending works of A.C. Subbareddy Indoor Stadium at Mogallapalem in Nellore on Saturday.

Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP) Chairman Animini Ravi Naidu on Saturday said that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu envisions Nellore district as a sports hub.

After inspecting the pending works at A.C. Subba Reddy Indoor Stadium, a multi-purpose indoor sports complex, at Mogallapalem in Nellore, Mr. Ravi Naidu said: “As per the wish of former Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu, the then government had allotted 150 acres of land for this project in 2017. After completion of 90% of the construction at a cost of ₹8 crore, the project was stalled after the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) formed the government.”

Alleging that the YSRCP-led government had crippled the sports sector in the past five years, Mr. Ravi Naidu alleged that ₹119 crore has been misused by them in the name of ‘Aadudam Andhra’ programme, and the sports sector has turned into a political tool. He said that the NDA government was committed to promote the sports sector and soon after coming to power, the SAAP held a meeting with 53 sports-related associations.

“Minister of Education Nara Lokesh has identified 4,039 schools across the State that do not have playgrounds and initiated efforts to set up playgrounds. The government’s mission is to provide necessary infrastructure and facilities to the sportspersons,” he said.

After reviewing the design of infrastructure and facilities required for its management, the SAAP Chairman directed the district officials to promptly complete the pending works of the indoor stadium, to make it operational in the next 15 days. He also reviewed several aspects related to Kreeda Vikas Kendra (KVK), stadiums, sports villages, sports policies, Public-Private Partnership (PPP) policy and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds.

Moreover, Mr. Ravi Naidu called on industrialists, public representatives, sports enthusiasts and ex-sportsmen to encourage more students to participate in the field of sports, stating that the sports sector would develop further with the implementation of the PPP policy.