South India’s first Sports Complex for the disabled to be built in Visakhapatnam

Visakhapatnam district is set to see a major new development aimed at empowering the differently-abled community. District in-charge minister Dola Sree Bala Veeranjaneya Swamy announced the construction of a Rs 200 crore Sports Complex for the Disabled on a 25-acre site. This initiative seeks to promote the physical and mental well-being of persons with disabilities.

This project marks a long-awaited step forward, as South India’s first regional sports complex for differently-abled athletes has been pending since its announcement in 2015, after India’s stellar performances in the Paralympics and the World Cup Cricket for the Visually Impaired. Officials recently inspected a 22-acre site in Bakkannapalem, owned by AP-DASCAC, and deemed it suitable for the facility. The sports complex for the disabled will include specialized sports tracks, training equipment, and residential quarters to prepare athletes for competitions at various levels. The Central government will fund the project once the land acquisition is formalized.

District Development Review Committee Meeting Turns Heated

Meanwhile, Dola Sree Bala Veeranjaneya Swamy also chaired a District Review Meeting highlighted a series of pressing civic and administrative issues.

Poor maintenance of street lights across Visakhapatnam, increased irregularities in urban planning, delays in the sanctioning and construction of TIDCO houses, irregularities in land registrations and allocations, and more were discussed.

The leaders stressed that Visakhapatnam, given its growing national and international stature, must be systematically developed into an economic powerhouse. They called for swift resolution of pending issues, especially related to drinking water supply during summer, road constructions under the Master Plan, and regularization of encroachments under GO 30.

Additional suggestions included:

• Better management of street lights (MP Sribharat)
• Extension of the deadline for land regularization under GO 30 from 2019 to 2024 and issuance of conveyance deeds
• Speedy resolution of court cases related to land for Anna Canteen and Digital Library
• Urgent development of Vepagunta-Pinagadi road and clearing of encroachments
• Addressing bureaucratic obstacles to house construction on small land parcels
• Allocation of land for a Development Studies Centre and better teacher management
• Restoration of Visakhapatnam-Vijayawada flight services and review of Filmnagar Board land
• Completion of TIDCO houses and construction of a railway underpass at Kakani Nagar

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