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On the auspicious occasion of Dhanteras festival, Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh inaugurated the International Hockey Stadium, named after Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, in capital city Raipur.
This stadium with world-class amenities was built in record time period of four months at the cost of nearly Rs 18 crore. At the inaugural program, Chief Minister announced that a life-sized statue will be erected at the entrance of this international hockey stadium.
In the programme, Dr Raman Singh felicitated nine international hockey players of the state, on behalf of the Sports and Youth Welfare Department.
Vidhan Sabha Speaker Mr. Gourishankar Agrawal presided over the inaugural program and Member of Lok Sabha Mr. Ramesh Bais, Sports and Youth Welfare Minister Mr. Bhaiyalal Rajwade, Agriculture Minister Mr. Brijmohan Agrawal, PWD Minister Mr. Rajesh Moonat, Women and Child Development Minister Mrs. Ramsheela Sahu, State Youth Commission Chairman Mr. Kamalchand Bhanjdev, Hockey India Chairman Dr Narendra Batra, and Chairman of Hockey Chhattisgarh Dr Anil Verma were also present as special guests of the occasion.
In his address at the program, Chief Minister Dr. Raman Singh said that inauguration of international hockey stadium is a proud moment for youth and sportspersons of the state. Dr Singh said that this is the third synthetic turf hockey ground of the state.
Earlier, stadiums have been built in Rajnandgaon and in the Science College of Raipur. He said that although the facility of two pitches at one place is available in Punjab, Jharkhand, Kerala, Odisha and other states of the country, Chhattisgarh is the first state of the nation to have built two stadiums of international standard at one place.
Now Chhattisgarh is ready to host any hockey tournament of national or international level. He added that from November 27 to December 6, World League Hockey Competition will be organized on these grounds. Eight international teams will participate in this tournament and young sportspersons of the state will get to learn a lot from this international hockey tournament.
The Honorable Chief Minister also felicitated nine international hockey players of state for their significant contribution in the development of hockey in the state. This included Ex-Olympian Mr. Vincent Lakra, Mr. Shokh Gaffar, Ms. Saba Anjum, Ms. Neeta Dumre, Mr. Tanvir Jamaan, Ms. Renuka Rajput, Ms. Renuka Yadav, Mr. Mrinal Choubey and Mr. Balwinder Kaur.
On behalf of Sports and Youth Welfare Department, Dr. Singh gave away certificates to 10 sportspersons for their excellent performance in year 2014. This included Ms. Shakuntala Patel for Netball, Mrs. Anju Joshi for basketball, Ms. Asita Dohre, Swami Vishwakarma, Indu Nishad, Munni Dewangan, Sheela Dewangan for fencing, Radha Yadav for swimming (Paralympics) and Mr. Rohan Santiago and Mr. Dilip Vishwakarma for soft tennis.
The Honorable Chief Minister also honoured nearly 150 hockey players from various districts of the state. The programme was also addressed by Sports and Youth Welfare Minister Mr. Bhaiyalal Rajwade.
The Chief Minister gave away certificates to engineers and contractors concerned with completing construction of the stadium in a record time of four months while adhering to the quality standards as well.
Sports and Youth Welfare Department Secretary Mr. Dinesh Shrivastav delivered the welcome speech and PWD Secretary Mr. Anil Rai presented the report. Meanwhile, Raipur Development Authority (RDA) Chairman Mr. Sanjay Shrivastav, Chhattisgarh Hockey Sangh Chairman Dr Anil Verma, State Industrial Development Corporation Chairman Mr. Chhagan Mundra, PWD Principal Secretary Mr. Amitabh Jain and a large number of sportspersons and sports-lovers were also present on the occasion.
