Engg Dept sits over plan to lay synthetic track at Sec 7 complex

Deepankar Sharda

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 20

Nearly two months have passed since the Sports Department submitted the plan for an eight-lane synthetic turf — the first of its kind in the city — to the Engineering Department for approval, but no action has been initiated till date.      

“We have submitted an estimate of Rs 3.90 crore for introducing a new eight-lane synthetic turf here. However, the file is pending for the final approval with the Office of the Chief Engineer,” said a source. 

The turf will be laid at the Sector 7 Sports Complex after removing the existing cinder track. Earlier, it had been decided to lay the turf at the Sector 46 Sports Complex. The decision, however, was changed after it was found that the arena did not have enough space for the track. 

Chief Engineer Mukesh Anand was not available for the comment despite repeated attempts made by the reporter to reach him. 

Notably, after getting the final approval, the process to sanction the amount, advertising and allotting tender, and pasting and testing of the turf will take at least six months to complete.

The project has been in the pipeline since 2012, but no action was taken to put it into a reality.  

In 2012, the first proposal to lay an all-weather polyurethane track at the Sector 42 Sports Complex was scrapped. Thereafter, in 2013, after a biopic on veteran athlete Milkha Singh was released, the Chandigarh Administration had announced to introduce a synthetic turf for the athletes, but reportedly failed to procure the land for the project. 

It is disheartening that the city which is home to the likes of Flying Sikh Milkha Singh and 101-year-old veteran athlete Mann Kaur does not a have single synthetic athletics track and athletes are forced to train in New Delhi or adjoining Panchkula. 

“We have to practise either in Panchkula or Delhi due to unavailability of a synthetic track here,” said Manjot Kaur, a city-based national-level athlete.    

“It's difficult to cope with the outstation expenses. It is also difficult to manage your diet and studies while you practise at Delhi. The administration is spending Rs 8 crore on building similar kind of sports complexes in various sectors of the city, we are just demanding one synthetic track,” said Manjot. 

At present, the city has got two main tracks for the athletes — the cinder track at the Sector 7 Sports Complex and a grass track at the Sector 46 Sports Complex. The two tracks serve nearly 300 registered athletes from the city.