Guwahati, Oct. 17: Dispur today announced that the RG Baruah Sports Complex, the nerve centre of sports in the state, is all set to get a major facelift by next year.
Sports minister Ajit Singh addressed the gathering on the occasion of State Sports Day, observed to mark the birth anniversary of the architect of modern Assam, R.G. Baruah.
He said, "It has always been my dream to make the R.G. Baruah Sports Complex better and I am determined to do it within a year. We propose to renovate the entire complex, including Nehru Stadium, and reinstate the tennis courts at its original place at the Nurul Amin tennis complex by next year."
He said a proposal has been placed with the government to obtain funds for the facelift and hoped it will get Dispur's nod soon.
The Telegraph had reported about the proposal being placed by the Board of Sports of Assam a few months back.
Apart from cracks in the galleries of Nehru Stadium, the sports complex faces the acute problem of waterlogging almost throughout the rainy season with the drainage system clogged and being out of order for nearly a decade.
The complex was supposed to be renovated with a fund of over Rs 10 crore from the 11th Finance Commission before the 33rd National Games were held here in 2007.
However, the funds had to be utilised partially for the creation of infrastructure for the Games.
The Sports Day programme included garlanding of R.G. Baruah's statue followed by a memorial meeting in the morning and illumination of the complex in the evening.
