March 12, Kohima: The Nagaland government is working to sign a Memorandum of Understanding to hand over the half-constructed multi-disciplinary sports complex (MDSC) in Dimapur to the Sports Authority of India (SAI).
Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio informed the assembly today while responding to a query on delays in the Sports Complex. He said that this move would enable the completion of the long-delayed project and develop it into a national-standard coaching center.
He stated that the MDSC, which spans over 64 acres, began in 2005-06 with an initial estimate of 60.57 crores and a proposed seating capacity of 30,000.
The Chief Minister noted that the project was initially funded by the Planning Commission with staggered allocations of 11 crore rupees per year from 2006 to 2011.
However, the funding stopped after the Commission was replaced by the NITI Aayog.
So far, a total of 140 crore rupees have been invested into the project, with 43 crores from the Planning Commission and 97 crores from the state government. Mr. Rio noted that an estimated 267 crore rupees is required for the project.
He added that officials from the Union Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs have already inspected the site, and the relevant documents are currently with the Law and Justice Department for review.
Mr. Rio also emphasized the need to improve road connectivity to the complex and suggested that the department begin a survey at the earliest.