Andheri to get Olympic-level sports hub

Soon there will be an Olympic-standard multi-sports complex in Andheri, spread over 49,000 sqmt area – and it will be open to all. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) Garden department will develop the complex, and the civic body claims that it will be the first of it's kind to be available for the common citizens of Mumbai.

The sports complex will have nine major games facilities, including cricket, lawn tennis, football, kabaddi, kho-kho, basketball, volleyball and Mallakhamb, according to Kishor Kshirsagar, deputy municipal commissioner (Garden). It will have a dedicated play area for children. He added that tender for the complex will be opened on Friday. The total estimated cost of the project is Rs 23 crore and it will be completed within 18 months of awarding the contract.

The cricket ground will be as big as Wankhede stadium. However, it will not be used for international events. "It will solely be used for local events or state-level tournaments," said Kshirsagar. The focus will be on keeping as much space open as possible, within the complex. "Apart from an open gym, the we will also implement peripheral plantation," said an official from BMC's Garden department.