By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: In a heartening development for the football lovers of the state,the work for laying of the first synthetic football turf here is likely to be completed within the next three weeks.
After many hurdles, the artificial turf is finally being laid at the Third Ground of the Jawaharlal Nehru Sports Complex.
The project was cleared last year for funding by FIFA for the Meghalaya Football Association.
Though the work is on at a rapid pace, the absence of fencing raises questions about the security of the turf which is laid in the open.
When contacted, Meghalaya Football Association (MFA) secretary Larsing Ming Sawian said the fencing work will be taken up simultaneously while adding that a private security agency has been employed to safeguard the turf.
Daljit Singh, who is in charge of the of installation of the turf said the artificial grass on it is 60 mm thick and is imported from Italy.
The turf which would be covered with sand and rubber mats would provide a playing area 10mm thick .
According to Singh, the turf is expected to last 8 to 10 years given it is gaurded properly as it is susceptible to cigarettes and chewing gums.
“The ground shall provide a playing area of 110 meter in length and 74 meter in width and 3 meters of touch line with the goal post,” Singh added.
The estimated budget of the artificial turf is around Rs 6 crores..
While Meghalaya is one of the four states in India chosen for this FIFA project under the ‘Win in India With India’ programme, the other cities that are beneficiaries of this project include Imphal, Bangalore and Mumbai.
