Land allotted to Saina in Dharamsala for badminton academy

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, December 24

Minister for Forests, Youth and Sports Affairs Rakesh Pathania, who has been made in-charge for the elections to the Dharamsala Municipal Corporation, said that 52 kanal land in the Sakoh area of Dharamsala had been allotted to badminton star Saina Nehwal for setting up an international badminton academy. The academy would come up soon, he added.

Addressing a press conference here today, Pathania said an amount of Rs 18 crore had been sanctioned for setting up an international shooting range in Kangra district. Two indoor skating ranges were being set up in Dharamsala and Shimla.

The minister said 18 stadiums would be ready by the end of the next year in the state. Listing various achievements of the state government, the minister claimed that the maximum work had been done under the Prime Minister’s Gram Sarak Yojana in the last three years. Thousands of people were brought under the social security scheme by reducing the age of old age pension scheme beneficiaries from 80 years to 70 years.

Though Pathania listed the works that were in the pipeline in the sports department and benefits given under the social security scheme to people across the world, he had little to say on development works done in Dharamsala city. Most of the works under the Smart City scheme have been progressing at a snail’s pace.

The state of the Dharamsala Smart City scheme is such that even works for which Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur had laid the foundation stone about a year ago are yet to be started.

Most of the projects, including the Dharamsala war museum that was constructed during the stint of the previous Congress government, are yet to be made functional.

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