PANAJI, June 7: The National Games in Goa will be postponed further with Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar saying that the infrastructure required for hosting the event can be constructed only next year.
The games which were scheduled to be held in September 2016 in Goa were postponed to November 2017 by the previous government led by Laxmikant Parsekar.
The Parrikar-led government has now dished out another deadline for hosting the event.
�Goa is ready to host the National Games next year after constructing the required infrastructure at much decreased rates,� Parrikar told reporters today.
�The initial estimate about the money required to set up infrastructure to host National Games was Rs 570 crores but I have reworked the estimates and brought it down to Rs 400 crore. I am sure it would be further decreased to Rs 350 crore,� he said.
The Chief Minister said that the government is ready to host the National Games next year only after constructing the infrastructure required for the event.
Stating that it sounds like a good idea to have sports infrastructure scattered across the State, Parrikar said creation of infrastructure has also to be supported by proper maintenance.
�If I put the sports facilities in the remote areas, the question comes about their maintenance and commercial usage. We have to construct sports infrastructure where both these aspects are taken care of,� he said. � PTI
