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CR builds indoor stadium by railgenie on 25 April, 2012 - 03:00 PM
avatar railgenie CR builds indoor stadium on 25 April, 2012 - 03:00 PM

The Central Railway sports ground at Parel has undergone a major makeover. The authorities have built an indoor stadium with the state-of-the-art facilities including changing rooms and a well-equipped gym.

A Central Railway official who took DNA around the stadium said that the project cost Rs2.12 crore. “We have been generating revenue from the cricket pitch that we lease out. The Central Railway also donated a majority of the funds from its coffers,” he said.

The purpose of the ground is to provide an atmosphere for the Central Railways sportspersons to practice. Currently, there is a cricket ground that also has an athletic track. With the addition of the indoor stadium, there is also a basketball court, a badminton court and an area to play table tennis. There is an indoor gym comprising equipments like treadmills, exercycles, rowing machines and an area to work on weight training.

However, like the cricket pitch, the CR also plans to let out the indoor stadium. “The facilities will be available only for sportspersons. That way, we will be able to maintain the stadium,” said Anurag Sachan, general secretary, CR.

The indoor stadium is a welcome move by the CR for its sportspersons. Only recently, they sanctioned 140-odd letters for sportspersons’’ leaves. If the CR is letting out its indoor stadium, then the basketball court will be the first indoor court in the city that will be used for competitive sport.

However, while the new indoor stadium shows a lot of promise, there is still an old structure that houses the billiards room and the power lifting arena. The structure is in need of renovation.

“Yes, we are aware of this situation. We have applied for additional funds to give this structure a makeover. Along with that, we also plan to sort out the cricket outfield by improving the groundwater supply. We plan to relocate the stands to the opposite end and also make a kabaddi ground. This way, we want to provide the best to our sportspersons. The entire project will take two years to complete,” Sachan said.