Rs 124.85 cr to be spent on new stadia

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, MARCH 19. The Sports Minister, Mr. T. Seetharam, told the Assembly on Monday that Rs. 124.85 crores would be spent to construct new stadia and improve the existing ones for the National Games 2002 being held in Hyderabad.

Replying to Mr. K. R. Suresh Reddy (Congress-I) and others during question time, the Minister said the plan to construct new stadia at the Gymkhana and nearby grounds in Secunderabad had been shelved after the Defence authorities denied the requisite permission. The environmentalists too were against the plan and had gone to court stating that it would eat into the lung space.

It was because of these problems that the main stadia, swimming pool and games village were being constructed at Gachibowli, he said. An indoor stadium would be built at Yousufguda and a velodrome at Osmania University campus. This apart, facilities will be improved at the existing ones like the Lal Bahadur Stadium, Lal Bahadur Indoor stadium, Quli Qutub Shah Stadium, Hockey Stadium and at Hussain Sagar lake.

Responding to the MIM floor leader, Mr. Asaduddin Owaisi's query, he said facilities would also be improved by December-end, at the swimming pool at Moghalpura and football grounds at Barkas and Goshamahal. To the Congress-I member, Mr. K. Laxminarayana's question, he said clubs wherever they are attached to the stadia, would be asked to vacate.

Funds for King George Hospital

The Health Minister, Dr. S. Aruna, said Rs. 2 crores given by the Central Government for the development of an oncology unit at the King George Hospital at Visakhapatnam had been released recently. The Government would set up radium therapy units at the teaching hospitals at Anantapur and Vijayawada to ensure that all the teaching hospitals in the State have this facility.

She told Dr. K. Revathipathi (TDP) and others that the radium therapy unit at King George Hospital had been out of order since October 5, 1991. The authorised dealer, M/s. Kirloskar Theretronics Pvt. Ltd, Bangalore, had recommended "de-commission" of the unit as its spare parts were not available. The unit is being sent to the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, for its condemnation and disposal. As for the angiogram unit, the user charges coming to about Rs. 7 lakhs collected by the hospital was not enough to carry out repairs. The Hospital Development Committee (HDC) had been asked to release the remaining Rs. 3 lakhs.

Mr. Atchan Naidu (TDP) and Dr.K. Haribabu (BJP) alleged that the equipment at the hospital is being deliberately made dysfunctional. The latter demanded an enquiry and action against the guilty staff. The Minister merely said there was no such problem since the HDC was constituted.

Meeting on cold storage plants

The Agriculture Minister, Mr. V. Sobhanadeeswara Rao, gave an assurance in the Assembly to call for a meeting of the owners of cold storage plants in the State to discuss the problems faced by them.

Responding to Mr. N. Raghuveera Reddy (Congress-I) and others he said the capital investment scheme launched by the Government to promote setting up of cold storage plants had evoked good response with 20 units coming up creating 91,000 tonnes of storage capacity. The Government had provided an investment subsidy amounting to Rs.6.48 crores. Misuse of CMEY funds

The Sports and Youth Services Minister, Mr. T. Seetharam, told Mr. M. Sivannaidu (Congress-I) and others that about 18 to 22 per cent of the units sanctioned under the Chief Minister's Empowerment of Youth (CMEY) scheme were either non-performing or non-existing. This was revealed by a Rapid Appraisal Survey. Action was being taken to make non-performing ones functional while booking cases under Revenue Recovery Act and cheating under Section 420 of IPC, against the non-existing ones which misppropriated funds. The rate of recovery was gradually going up and it was Rs. 1.29 crores by February-end.

Several members appeared dissatisfied and alleged that half of the CMEY units were bogus and demanded a separate short discussion. The Speaker, Mrs. K. Pratibha Bharathi, said she would consult the floor leaders and take a decision on it.

Trust boards for temples

The Endowments Minister, Mr. D. Sivarmaraju, informed the House that 5,000 trust boards for temples would be constituted within a month's time. He told Dr. K. Laxman (BJP) that the process of issuing notification had begun six months ago and already 130 boards had been formed.

Marriage registers

The Panchayat Minister, Mr. P. Srinivas Reddy, told Mr. K. Venkata Rao (TDP) and others that the Government would expedite the system of having marriage registers in all gram panchayats, to record the age of a girl or a boy at the time of marriage. It was now pending with the Law Department. Members wanted the process to be hastened as it could effectively check child marriages.

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