SHILLONG, Oct 25 - Union Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry today announced two major projects for Meghalaya � an Olympic stadium and a Composite Regional Centre for People with Disabilities (PwD.
Making the announcement in one of the biggest aid distribution camps of the North East here at Polo Grounds, Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, Thaawarchand Gehlot said the Olympic stadium for the disabled to be built in Meghalaya would be one of the five to be built across India.
It�s being built as one of the National Sports Centres for PwDs. The stadium would be built with all the facilities required to host an Olympic event.
�The Meghalaya Chief Minister has requested for the stadium and so we have decided to allot it to the State. An amount of Rs 200 crore has been sanctioned for its construction,� he announced.
He informed that the DPR of the project would be formulated by a team of officials from the Ministry of Social Justice and from Meghalaya and the DPR would be finalised by March next year.
Gehlot said that the Meghalaya Government has promised to allot 50 acres land for the stadium and hopefully work of the project would begin as soon as the DPR is finalised. The Minister further announced that a Composite Regional Centre for the disabled would be established in the State and in this regard the Union Minister said the State Government must make land available.
�We would fund the project and allot over Rs 20 crore. In the centre PwDs would be provided training. There would also be various programmes held for the empowerment of PwDs,� he said.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said, the Olympic stadium would be used for hosting the 2022 National Games scheduled to be held here.