Sonepat, January 25
The Union Secretary of Sports and Youth Affairs, Mr S S Sharma, laid the foundation stone of the northern region sports centre, named after Chaudhary Devi Lal, former Deputy Prime Minister at Chauhan Joshi village about 13 km from here yesterday.
According to a report, a havan yajna was held on the occasion. Mrs Anita Chaudhary, Commissioner, Rohtak Division, Mr B K Sinha, Director Sports, Haryana, Mr Naresh Gulati, Commissioner Sports, Haryana, Mr S N Roy, Deputy Commissioner, Mr Dev Raj Diwan and Mr Suraj Mal Antil, both MLAs, were among those present on the occasion. Mr Sharma disclosed that Rs 100-crore project would be completed in phases within about three years. This would be a major sports centre in the northern region and would help national and international sportspersons.
Mr L M Goel, Chief Secretary, Haryana, disclosed that the centre was being constructed with the financial assistance of the Central Government in the memory of Mr Devi Lal who, he said, was the messiah of Haryana people.
The sportspersons of national and international repute would be trained in the centre and given
an all-out assistance by the government.
Mr Goel said that the state government had allotted 100 acres for this purpose and the Sports Authority
of India (SAI) would take control of it. Out of it, more than 83 acres had already been handed over to the
SAI by the state government.
The Chief Secretary said that the state government had taken a series of measures for the construction of main gate, besides erecting barbed wires, construction of roads, laying of water and sewerage pipelines and erecting transmission lines to provide electricity in the centre. This centre, he said, would have hockey, volleyball, basketball and kabaddi grounds. Arrangements for wrestling, taekwonda, judo, table tennis and karate events would also be
made in the centre.
According to Mr Goel, the centre would have 100-bed hostel, administrative block and swimming pool.
New Delhi, January 25