Minister for Tourism, Sports and Youth Affairs Muttamsetty Srinivasa Rao on Tuesday said the Centre had sanctioned ₹2.25 crore for the construction of a multi-purpose indoor stadium on Padmavathi Mahila University campus in Tirupati.
Reviewing the various projects being taken up by the Tourism, Sports and the Youth Services wings, the Minister said Andhra Pradesh was one of the nine States selected by the Sports Ministry for upgradation of Khelo India State Centre of Excellence (KISCE). The new facility, Dr. YSR Sports School, was proposed to be developed at Putllampalli in Kadapa district.
The State government, meanwhile, released funds to the tune of ₹92 crore to take up reconstruction of the Rishikonda resort. The Minister enquired with the officials about the estimates prepared for grant of funds in the forthcoming budget.
Investment
The Minister said the government was keen on developing the tourism sector by inviting investors to take up projects such as construction of resorts and three and five star hotels in PPP mode. He wanted the officials to plan road shows in cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad to attract investors to the State.
He said officials should hold weekly review meetings to monitor progress of the ongoing works and should inspect at regular intervals the resorts and hotels run by the department across the State.
Speaking about the proposed projects in the State, he said a decommissioned ship was proposed to be transformed into a restaurant in Visakhapatnam and projects on the lines of ‘Jal Vihar’ would come up at Vijayawada and Tirupati.
He said boating activity would resume at Papikondalu in a week and Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy would soon inaugurate the development works taken up at Srisailam temple under the Centrally-sponsored Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) scheme.
Special Chief Secretary, Tourism, Rajat Bhargav, Andhra Pradesh Tourism Authority Managing Director Praveen Kumar and others were present.
