Minister urged to sanction grants for synthetic athletics track

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, November 30

A delegation of city-based NGO Amritsar Vikas Manch met Sports and Education Minister Pargat Singh in Jalandhar and requested him to sanction a grant of Rs15 crore for the establishment of synthetic athletics track at Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), Amritsar.

Many attempts to lay a synthetic track on nearly eight acre athletics ground did not materialise for one reason or another. About eight years ago, the then Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh had sanctioned an amount of Rs5.5 crore to lay a synthetic athletics track at the GNDU but the grant was shifted to the north east due to some technical reasons. Since then, it did not receive any fund to refurbish its infrastructure.

This, despite the fact that an array of prominent players, who earned medals for the country at international and national level, was produced by the border district. Omission of infrastructure is costing dearly to athletes, especially those preparing for national and international events in their career, the delegates said.