The Gujarat government has created a special company and allocated Rs 6,000 crore to construct six sports venues for the 2036 Summer Olympics, if India wins the bid to host the mega sporting event, a state official said on Tuesday.
The company, named ‘Gujarat Olympic Planning and Infrastructure Corporation Ltd’, was established about three months ago and has already held one board meeting, the official, who did not wish to be named, said.
The company has also set up a pavilion at the Vibrant Gujarat Trade Show 2024, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday in Gandhinagar.
The company’s main task is to develop an area of around 350 acres near the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Sports Enclave in Ahmedabad’s Motera area.
The sports enclave, which is under construction, includes the Narendra Modi Stadium, the world’s largest cricket stadium in terms of seating capacity.
“The company has prepared a master plan to develop the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Sports Enclave and the adjacent areas covering 350 acres, as per Prime Minister Modi’s vision of hosting the Olympics in India. The plan, which was submitted by a design firm chosen through an open tender, proposes to build six sports venues in the area,” the official said.
The company has also invited bids from firms that can design these sports venues, he said, adding that the total cost of the project is Rs 6,000 crore.
“The selected firms will be responsible for designing the layout of the whole area, as well as the structural and architectural details of the sports venues. The company aims to complete the construction of these venues by 2030, so that India can bid for the 2036 Olympics,” he said.
The company is headed by the principal secretary of the Gujarat urban development and urban housing department, and its board of directors includes the municipal commissioner of Ahmedabad, the CEO of the Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority and the director general of the Sports Authority of Gujarat, among others, the official said.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah had also held two meetings in December last year with senior Gujarat government officials to review the state’s readiness to host the 2036 Olympic Games.
The Gujarat government, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), had earlier announced its intention to secure the hosting rights for the 2036 Games and said it would engage with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) about organising the event in the state.
Shah had also expressed his hope that the 2036 Olympics would take place at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Sports Enclave during a recent visit to Gujarat.
In October, Prime Minister Modi had announced at an event in Mumbai that India would submit a bid to host the Olympics.
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