GUWAHATI: Meghalaya sports and youth affairs minister, Banteidor Lyngdoh has assured to approach the Centre for upgrade of the Sports Authority of India (SAI) sub-centre to a regional centre in the state which will be hosting the National Games in 2022.
Informing this to The Shillong Times, Meghalaya State Olympic Association (MSOA) working president, John F Kharshiing said he had on Saturday forwarded a copy of the letter addressed to the Centre back in 2013 regarding the upgrade of the SAI sub-centre to an autonomous regional centre.
“The sports minister has assured to take up the matter shortly so that the SAI campus in NEHU Shillong is fully utilised for the uplift of sports. He also informed that the subject of the SAI campus is already in the department and government agenda to be taken up with the Union ministry of youth affairs and sports, in view of the National Games 2022,” Kharshiing said.
The SAI sub-centre in Shillong is yet to have a full-fledged deputy director while the director is based in Guwahati.
The letter was addressed to the Union youth affairs and sports ministry by Kharshiing, who was then the co-chairman of Meghalaya State Planning Board in 2013
“Proposals for this have been pending since 2013 and communication has been going on over the past five years. Such a move requires political will at all levels especially at the Centre. Perhaps, this time, Meghalaya’s push to host the 2022 National Games will see this matter fructify,” Kharshiing.
A delegation led by Raninder Singh, president of the National Rifle Association of India and Kharshiing had called on Jitendra Singh, the then Union minister of state for youth affairs and sports, on April 9, 2013 in New Delhi, to submit a letter requesting his intervention in the re-grouping and upgrade of the Meghalaya SAI sub-centre to a regional centre in Shillong.
The Union minister was informed about the inordinate delay in completing the SAI sub-centre, Special Area Games (SAG) designated 40 acre campus which has in its master plan only six disciplines (football, archery, boxing, taekwondo, judo and hockey).
The delegation urged the minister to consider including other disciplines, such as shooting, within the same master plan so as to add value to the centre’s initiative for conducting national and international games.
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