Villagers’ wait for mini stadium continues even after donating 10 acres

Tharuvaikulam, a sports-loving village, waits for a promised mini stadium despite producing national-level athletes with limited resources.

A coastal hamlet near here, which has produced more than 10 State-level and national-level sportsmen without basic facilities created by the villagers with their resources, is waiting indefinitely for a mini stadium even after it has donated 10 acres of land for the purpose.

Previous AIADMK government decided in 2015 to construct a mini-stadium in each Assembly constituency. Tharuvaikulam has produced national-level and state-level volleyball players, a cricketer playing in Tamil Nadu Premier League and good number of athletes, who have become senior police officers.

The villagers decided to donate 23 acres of land for the purpose even though the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu’s requirement was only 5 acres. The Tharuvaikulam village panchayat also passed a resolution in this connection.

 After the 5 acres of land near Tharuvaikulam beach was formally handed over to the SDAT by the Tharuvaikulam village panchayat in 2016, the officials said another 5 acres would be easy for them to set up an integrated sports complex at Tharuvaikulam and this demand was also fulfilled immediately by handing over 5 more acres of land taking the total quantum of land given to SDAT for the mini stadium to 10 acres. The 10 acres of land is now in the name of the District Sports Officer, Thoothukudi district, for constructing the mini stadium.

While 171 Assembly segments of Tamil Nadu now do not have mini stadium, the present government led by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has made it clear that this sports arena would be created only in 10 Assembly segments every year.

“While the State Government has sanctioned similar projects for Minister Anita Radhakrishnan’s Tiruchendur and MLA Oorvasi Amirtharaj’s Srivaikundam constituencies, there is no sign of starting work on the mini stadium at sports-loving Tharuvaikulam, which falls under Ottapidaaram Assembly constituency. And, we are waiting indefinitely since 2016 even after formally handing over 10 acres of land. No one is ready to push our case with the government. Only if our MLA Shanmugaiah takes some steps, it will happen,” says D. Raja of Tharuvaikulam.

Even though the land allotted for the mini stadium remains as such without any development, the Tharuvaikulam villagers have created a football ground, three volleyball courts and three beach volleyball courts as more than 100 players practice in this ground during this summer. Good number youth, including girls, practise martial arts, including ‘silambam’ every day.