Pune Cantonment Board to invest Rs 15 crore in sports complex
Indian Express: If the Pune Cantonment Board (PCB) has its way, the camp area of Pune might soon get a sports complex of its own. The plan has been stalled thrice in the past. The PCB proposes to set up a sports complex in Golibar Maidan on a build operate transfer (BOT) basis with an estimated investment of upto Rs 15 crore. The construction of the complex will start in March.
Speaking to The Indian Express, the PCB Chief Executive Officer Dr DK Malik said that a commercial complex would also come up along with the sports complex in the allotted land of around four acres to make it commercially viable.
“We estimate that both the complexes together will cost up to Rs 15 crore. We have invited applications and the last date of submission is December 4. The site will be leased out to the contractor for creating sports facilities and infrastructure. It will be operated and maintained for a period of 30 years by the contactor and during the period, he shall pay an annual rent to the PCB,” he said.
The proposed sports complex will have the facility for all indoor sports like table tennis, badminton, billiard, shooting and will also house a gym. “As per the plan, there will be outdoor sports facilities including a football ground, a cricket pitch for net practice, a basketball court and an athletics track. Once the scrutiny of applications takes place, we invite for tenders in another 15 days,” Malik said.
According to Malik, the Southern Command GOC-in-C will need to give the final approval before work can be started; the project is expected to take off within three months. “Pune cantonment residents do not have the facility to meet their sports requirements. Over the years, many vacant plots used for sports activities have been developed. With this project, we intend to provide them all the facilities under one roof,” he said.
As per the pre-qualification guidelines issued by the PCB, those coming forward should have executed the project work of not less than Rs 100 crore during the preceding three years and out of them any single project must be worth at least Rs 20 crore.
The sports complex was first envisaged in 2005, but failed to take off due to various reasons. Later, in 2007 the Central Government cleared the project, which was estimated to be of a total cost of Rs 4 crore. Former GOC-In-C of Southern Command Lt Gen N Thamburaj had laid down the foundation stone of the complex on December 2008. But now, the PCB has decided to go ahead with the project on a BoT basis.
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