Visakhapatnam: The Port City is set to get another attraction in the form of an Indoor Sports Arena in MVP Colony in a vacant land abutting the AS Raja College grounds, thanks to the Vizag Smart City project.Tenders were recently finalised for the nearly Rs 20 crore project, which will offer easy access to several sporting activities for Vizagites.Jointly developed by the Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority (Vuda) and the Greater Visakhapatnam Smart City Corporation Limited (GVSCCL), the sports arena will get several indoor sports amenities as well as outdoor facilities such as a swimming pool, jogging track, children play area, open gym, among others.Volleyball, basketball and badminton courts, parking facilities and other amenities for spectators will also be developed in a multi-storied indoor setting. Apart from the funds provided through the Vizag Smart City project, Vuda will contribute Rs 3 crore towards construction of the Sports Arena.Many groups playing simultaneously in a haphazard manner due to lack of space and multi-utility grounds is a regular sight at playgrounds in and around MVP Colony and Andhra University. The spectators are often left in a confused state as to who is playing for which team. The Indoor Sports Arena is expected to come up with a solution, at least to some extent, for joggers, swimmers and badminton players, if not cricket.GVMC commissioner M Hari Narayanan said based on the theme of Vizag Smart City of ‘A Resilient and Healthy Metropolis for People’, it has been proposed to develop a sports arena at MVP Colony in the available open space. “Vuda is also contributing their part and allowed the Greater Visakhapatnam Smart City Corporation Limited (GVSCCL) to construct the sports arena on their land,” said Hari Narayanan.According to the preliminary designs, the basement floor area (2107 square metres) of the structure will be earmarked for parking as well as for creating other supporting facilities. The ground floor area (1449 square metres or approximately 30% of the site area) will house all the key amenities of the indoor stadium such as badminton, basketball and volleyball courts. The first floor will have a built-up area of 550 square metres, followed by the rooftop area of 70 square metres.

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