PANJIM, JULY 28
Chief Minister Digambar Kamat on Wednesday stated on the floor of the House that the National Games 2011 allotted to the State may not be held next year.
While clarifying on the issue during “Question Hour” he said, two States (Jharkhand and Kerala) which were allotted the National Games in 2007 and 2009 respectively, are yet to conduct national games and therefore, games in Goa will be held only after they are held in these two States, he said in reply to a question tabled by Mandrem MLA, Laxmikant Parsekar.
The opposition legislators also questioned the government over why public private partnership (PPPs) linked to tourism could help build part of the infrastructure for the forthcoming games.
Opposition leader Manohar Parrikar asked Sports Minister Babu Azgaonkar what alternate arrangements have been made if it fails to get private partners to invest in any of the eight PPP projects.
The opposition also raised concern about viability of the PPP projects, when the sports minister failed to give a specific answer in the house. The opposition declined to accept the minister’s long explanation of how the project was initiated. In no mood to endure Azgaonkar’s usual talks, Parrikar objected to the latter’s replies saying the minister should give a correct answer or they will stop asking him any further questions.
The minister , however, continued to blame the opposition at which point the chief minister intervened.. Kamat later said said points raised by the opposition would be examined.
A total of eight projects — convention cum exhibition centre, multipurpose stadium, shopping mall and multiplex, service hotel, amusement park, budget hotel, bowling alley and gaming arcade and training academies for various sports are planned to be built as PPP projects for the national games.
The government has proposed to acquire 9,19,789 square metres of land in Dhargalim to build a sports city for the national games.
As regards apprehensions expressed by the opposition leader about availability of funds for building infrastructure for national games, Kamat said for the first time the Union government has decided to give grants for conducting national games.
The central government will give Rs 326 crore ; Rs 244 crore (75 per cent) in the form of grants while 25 per cent will be in the form of loan, he said.
In his written reply the sports minister submitted that exact cost of the sports city projects will be worked out by the technical consultants to be appointed shortly. However, the Central team has worked out the sports city infrastructure and allied facilities as Rs 138. 5 crore and PPP projects as Rs 483. 28 crore at Dhargal alone.
