Make Sport Training Centre functional: Jaya

Chennai, Aug 5 (UNI) AIADMK Supremo J Jayalalithaa has urged the Centre and the Tamil Nadu government to take appropriate steps to make the proposed Sport Training Centre at Kanniyakumari district functional.

In a statement here today, she said it was decided to set up a sub-training centre, on behalf of the Sports Authority of India (SAI) in Tamil Nadu in 2001.

She said SAI had approved the proposal and 52 acre of land was made available by the state government at Neendakarai village near Rajakkamangalam in Kanniyakumari district for which the Centre had allotted a subsidy of Rs one crore.

During a departmental review meeting on April one, 2002, it was also decided to institute all kinds of sports, including kabadi, football, boxing, weight lifting and gymnastics at the training centre.

An office was opened at Rajakkamangalam to carry out the civic works for the centre and the foundation stone laying ceremony was held in 2004, she pointed out.

She alleged that due to ''instigation'' of Mr Karunanidhi, no follow-up action was taken after the government changed at the Centre in 2004.

When the DMK assumed office in 2006, the training centre scheme was put in cold storage due to ''vengeance,'' Jayalalithaa charged and cautioned that the Sports Training Centre scheme would go to some other state, if the same situation continued.

UNI