Udhagamandalam: Construction of a high-altitude sports training centre , which started last October at the HADP open ground in Ooty, is getting delayed owing to manpower shortage and inclement weather conditions in the hills.As per the contract, the project of laying synthetic track had to be finished by the end of this month. But, the work is still under way.Syncotts International, a private company specialising in developing synthetic athletic tracks, was selected for the work after floating tender. "We thought that, given the unpredictable climatic condition in Ooty, the work of laying synthetic track would take 12 months. But, the contractor is delaying work, claiming that manpower used for the work is comparatively sparse," said Nilgiri district sports officer TN Kumar. "We are pushing the contractor so that it would be finished, at least, in another two months," he told TOI.Continuous rain in the hills from the last two weeks has also played spoilsport.The HADP open stadium in Ooty is the only sports ground in the Nilgiris district falling under the Sports Authority of Tamil Nadu. The ground, extending over an area of around 5.75 acres and located close to the Government Botanical Garden, has a football ground on the middle and a track. The present track, stretching to a distance of 400 metres, is made of cinder and was developed at least 15 years ago.Last year, Rs 7crore was sanctioned for converting the cinder track into synthetic. While Rs 5 crore was sanctioned by the Central government, the rest was funded by the Hill Area Development Programme (HADP)."The ground is going to be an athletic-cum-football ground. The football ground will be maintained as it is," said Kumar. "The synthetic athletic track will have six 400-metre tacks as it is the international standard," he added.On an average, about 200 to 250 athletes from across the country come to Ooty for training a year as it is a high altitude training centre. With the synthetic track of international standard, even international teams could come here for training, according to the official.

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