CHENNAI: The TVK government has indicated that it will continue work on the 31 mini stadiums currently under construction under the previous DMK regime, while revising the broader scheme for sports facilities across all 234 Assembly constituencies.Public Works Minister Aadhav Arjuna told the Assembly on Tuesday that a review of the project had found the original allocation of Rs 3 crore per stadium inadequate to create facilities that would remain functional and useful in the long term.“A project undertaken by the government should serve people for at least 30 years. We are not going to change the locations identified for the stadiums. But it is not possible to properly implement the project for Rs 3 crore. Therefore, we will modify the scheme and execute it,” the minister said.The previous DMK government had announced mini stadiums in all 234 Assembly constituencies. However, work was taken up only in 75 constituencies, according to MLA Meyyanathan, who raised the issue in the Assembly.Of these, 44 stadiums have been completed and are in use, while construction is under way at 31 locations.Seeking clarity on the fate of the ongoing works, Meyyanathan asked whether the TVK government would complete the projects or abandon them.Responding, Aadhav Arjuna said the government would retain the existing locations and revise the project instead of scrapping it. The revised model could cost up to Rs 12 crore per stadium and would be funded by the state government, he said, adding that the works would be taken up soon.If the revised cost of up to Rs 12 crore per stadium is applied across all 234 constituencies, the total outlay would be about Rs 2,808 crore. However, the government has not announced the final cost or scope of the revised scheme.The minister also urged MLAs to prioritise the use of their constituency development funds for repairing school buildings and upgrading toilets.
