Anurag moots training centre for athletes in Dharamsala

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, November 16

Union Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs Anurag Thakur has proposed to make Dharamsala a destination for high-performance and high-altitude training centre for sportspersons.

Anurag, who was here to inaugurate the state-level table tennis tournament, said if the government provided land, a world-class training centre could come up in two years Dharamsala. It could help attract athletes from across the world for training. Besides the presence of international cricket stadium, it would help become Dharamsala a sports city. This would also help boost the tourism.

Anurag also announced to give 100 tennis tables for promoting the sport. He said 40 cricket academies were now functioning in Himachal. Within one year, every district would have a table tennis academy, he said.

His visit to Dharamsala also had political overtone. BJP MP, Kangra, Kishan Kapoor and former state president of the BJP Mahila Morcha Indu Goswami met the minister at the Gaggal airport.

Kapoor said his concern was development of Kangra. The proposal given by Anurag was a welcome step.

Anurag also said there was a scope of expanding the Gaggal airport. Kapoor and newly elected MLA Vishal Nehria should raise the demand at an appropriate level, he said.