A new BSP Tennis Complex set up by Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP) was dedicated to the sports fraternity and tennis enthusiasts here by Chief Minister Raman Singh on Tuesday.
The Chief Minister on the occasion also inaugurated the All India Inter State Men's National Tennis Tournament being hosted in this complex from February 16 to 21, 2016.
Those present at the inaugural ceremony were Minister for Revenue & Disaster Management, Rehabilitation, Higher Education, Technical Education & Manpower Planning, Science & Technology, Prem Prakash Pandey, State Minister for Women & Child Development, Ramsheela Sahu, MlA, Vidyaratan Bhasin, labhchand Bafna and Sanwla Ram Dehre, CEO, BSP, S Chandrasekaran, President, Chhattisgarh State Tennis Association, Vikram Singh Sisodia, Secretary of the Association, Gurucharan Singh Hora, Executive Director (Pers & Admin.), BSP, lT Sherpa, President (Junior Selection Committee, AITA), Anil Dhooper and Secretary of Chhattisgarh State Tennis Association, Gurucharan Singh Hora, Maya Belchandan and Chandraekhar Sahu.
Addressing a large gathering at the inaugural function, the Chief Minister said this is a momentous occasion not just for Bhilai but for the entire State.
Thanking all those public representatives and BSP officials involved in setting up this new complex, and welcoming players and officials from different states who are here for the Men's National Tennis Tournament, he said this new complex is the first of its kind in the State.
It is a good beginning for the game of tennis in the State, Singh said.
Congratulating BSP officials for having promoted sports on a large scale, he said BSP is known not just for making quality steel but also for providing the required facilities for honing young sporting talent. By providing young tennis players of the region the opportunity to witness national and international matches, this complex with all its facilities should be instrumental in honing the talent of young tennis players, he said, expressing confidence that national & international tennis players would emerge from these courts.
In his address, Minister for Revenue & Disaster Management, Rehabilitation, Higher Education, Technical Education & Manpower Planning, Science & Technology Prem Prakash Pandey said Bhilai Steel Plant that processes raw iron ore to quality steel for the nation is also actively engaged in development of human resources and talent, whether it is in the area of education or sports. The game of tennis is gaining popularity and this well-equipped tennis complex would go a long way in promoting this game in Bhilai and in the state of Chhattisgarh, he said.
In his address, S Chandrasekaran, CEO, BSP said we had decided when we started this project about two years back that we would set up a facility matching international standards. The location was decided as one that would be best suited for the complex.
My team then set about the task with the Plant's Enginering Drawing & Design Department first collecting necessary data for designing the complex, and other agencies following up with the construction.
The Bhilai Steel Plant has always promoted sports in the region by creating the necessary infrastructure and providing coaching facilities. The new BSP Tennis Complex inaugurated here on Tuesday with five tennis courts is an asset we have created for promoting the game of tennis. The all-India men's tournament that has been inaugurated on Tuesday will be followed by the women's tournament. This complex is equipped to host international matches in future, he said.
Earlier in his welcome address, Vikram Singh Sisodia, President, Chhattisgarh State Tennis Association thanked S Chandrasekaran, CEO, BSP and the management of Bhilai Steel Plant for setting up this tennis complex with facilities matching international standards.
Anil Dhooper, President (Junior Selection Committee, AITA) also thanked Bhilai Steel Plant and officials of Chhattisgarh State Tennis Association for this new complex.
Following the inaugural function, the Chief Minister accompanied by other dignitaries went around the new complex.
Chief Minister Raman Singh and Higher Education Minister Prem Prakash Pandey later played a couple of shots on Court No 1 to formally inaugurate the All India Men's National Tennis Tournament. As many as 22 State teams and two institutional teams including Railways are participating in the tournament that is being played on league and knock out basis. The tournament is being jointly organized by the All India Tennis Association and Chhattisgarh State Tennis Association.
It is worth mentioning that besides the four synthetic courts and one practice court, the new complex is equipped with gym, coach room, conference hall, kitchen-cum-pantry, well equipped office and parking facilities. Each of the courts has poles, team bench, referee chair, water pusher, sponge roller, drain covers and score boards.
Earlier, the Chief Minister interacted with the players who are participating on the national and Inter-state
tennischampionship under the aegis of All India Tennis Association from February 16 in Bhilai.The championship will conclude onFebruary 21.
Players from different states including Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Delhi, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Telangana, Tripura, West Bengal, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh are registering their presence in the championship.
For smooth execution of matches, as many as four match courts along with one practice court have been prepared for the championship.
The Chhattisgarh State Men's contingent for the NationalTennis Championship scheduled at Bhilai Tennis Complex this month has also been declared.
Kits regarding the event were distributed recently among the players by Chhattisgarh Pradesh Tennis Association President Vikram Singh Sisodia and General Secretary Gurucharan Singh Hora.
Notably, on May 25 last year, the Sports and Youth Welfare Department identified the schemes including 100 per cent youth participation to make attractive provisions under Youth Budget.
The State Government has made Youth Budget for it's various departments, for current fiscal year 2015-16, of total worth Rs 6,151 crore. With that, Chhattisgarh has made the first ever youth budget of the country, officials claimed.
Sports and Youth Welfare Department Officials informed that under Youth Budget, provision of Rs 1. 75 crore has been included for sportsmen training fund. This amount will be utilized to provide sports training to 12500 youth in the current financial year.
Provision of Rs 4.84 crore for Rural Sports Tournament, and target has been set to utilize this amount for promoting 9500sports talents in rural areas. For women sports tournaments, Rs 1.35 crore has been provisioned with the target to supporting 9500 sportspersons.