First Games venue unveiled

Opening the stadium,Union Sports minister M S Gill said one stadium will be thrown open every 10 days from now. He promised that all venues — 10 competition venues and several other training sites — will be ready well in time.

Revamped at a cost of Rs 266 crore,the stadium is spread over 17,500 square metres in the 37-acre complex. It has three synthetic pitches — two conform to international standards and a third is for practice.

Authorities said new polygrass turf has been laid on all pitches,which are equipped with new sprinkler systems.

“The facilities are state-of-the-art in this stadium,which is one of the best in the world and has a rich legacy,” Gill said. “The stadium was built in 1933 as an amphitheatre and then renovated for the first Asian Games in 1951,when it was named National Stadium by Jawaharlal Nehru. It was revamped again for 1982 Asiad.”

He said more than 2,000 workers were involved in the renovation work. “When I first visited the stadium last year,it was in a mess — construction was still on and I wondered whether it could be completed on time,” Gill said. “But I was constantly reassured by CPWD engineers and Sports Authority of India officials.

“I agree these venues should have been completed two years ago — like in London,where Olympics venues are being completed right now to give ample time for testing ahead of the 2012 event. But we have managed to open the first venue and we will finish work on the others before the Games.”

Officials said the main arena of the stadium has 16,200 permanent and 1,200 temporary seats,including seating arrangement in the covered VIP gallery. The second competition pitch has 900 permanent seats and 1,600 temporary seats. It also has facilities for players,media and other functional requirements.

The stadium also has separate lounges for VVIPs,athletes and the media. It has ramps,lifts and wheelchair-accessible seating platforms,and double-basement parking for 350 vehicles.