Govt Sanctions Rs 1 Crore for Football Turf Pitch at Nehru Maidan

Govt Sanctions Rs 1 Crore for Football Turf Pitch at Nehru Maidan

Mangaluru: The 20th Independence Cup Football Tournament 2016 was inaugurated at the Nehru Maidan here, on July 21.

Mayor of MCC Harinath inaugurated the tournament by lighting the traditional lamp along with other dignitaries. In his keynote address, president of the District Football Association, Aslam said that from many years, attempts were being made by the association to get a turf pitch for the football ground. “From the past 20 years, the MCC has been supporting the football association. We are very grateful to the MCC because even when different governments comes to power, they have supported us without any discrimination. When Abhaychandra became the sports minister, we approached him and submitted a memorandum for providing us with a turf pitch. Jain considered our request and sanctioned Rs 1 crore for the turf pitch in the Nehru Maidan.”

Aslam further said that out of Rs 1 crore, Rs 25 lakh has already been transferred to the DC’s office to start the work. “There are rumours that once the turf pitch is ready, the association will not allow holding any public programmes on Nehru Maidan; these rumors are false. We will not stop anyone from having public programmes but the organisers should take all measures to see that the pitch is not damaged.” He also assured that with the new turf pitch, students will be able to practice better and shine at the state, national and international levels.

Mayor Harinath in his inaugural address said that football is the most popular sport in the world and it is very popular in India too. “In Mangaluru, the MCC has taken many measures to support football players so that they can play at the state, national and international levels. The MCC has decided to provide facilities for the sport and in the next meeting, the work on the new turf pitch will be announced. Already Rs 1 crore has been sanctioned and Rs 25 lakh have been sent to the DC’s office to start the work. We want the football players from Dakshina Kannada to shine at the state, national and international levels and bring pride to our district.” He also congratulated the organizers for their continuous support towards the football players from past 20 years.

Former Mayor Mahabala Marla also spoke on the occasion. Later, the tournament was officially declared open by the Mayor by releasing balloons in the air and kicking the ball.

Former Mayor Sashidhar Hegde, Balakrishna Pai, Vijay Suvarna and Anil P V were also present.