Shillong, Oct 21: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Wednesday said Meghalaya will become the state with the highest number of artificial football turf in India.
Inaugurating the synthetic football turf at Mandalgitok Playground, Siju, the CM said the state is constructing 58 artificial turf grounds, one in each constituency, at over Rs 300 crore.
“Overall, more than Rs 2000 crore has been invested in the last eight years for sports infrastructure including stadiums, football grounds, swimming pools and indoor stadiums,” he said.
Sangma said it was a memorable day to see world-class turf in Siju. Youth and sports are vital for Meghalaya’s future, he said, adding that Meghalaya will host the National Games for the first time in March 2027 with 15,000 athletes.
“Government’s aim is that our youth from Siju should win medals not only in National Games but also represent Meghalaya and India in Asian Games and Olympics,” he said.
He thanked the A•king Nokma for donating land for the turf and said a tourist lodge and restaurant can be built alongside it.
The programme was attended by MLAs Rakkam A Sangma, Jim M Sangma, Sengchim N Sangma and Deputy Commissioner Sumit Kumar Singh.
