Renovated Swarna Bharathi indoor stadium back in action

Visakhapatnam: There novated version of Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation’s Swarna Bharathi Indoor Stadium was reopened in the city.

Redeveloped with state-of-the-art facilities utilising Greater Visakhapatnam Smart City Corporation funds, the stadium was formally reopened by Visakhapatnam Member of Parliament M Sribharat, Mayor Peela Srinivasa Rao, Collector MN Harendhira Prasad, Visakhapatnam north constituency MLA P Vishnu Kumar Raju, Deputy Mayor Dalli Govindaraju, District and GVMC Commissioner Ketan Garg.

Speaking on the occasion, the Member of Parliament said that the Swarna Bharathi Indoor Stadium has been reopened with ultra-modern facilities and made accessible to the public.

The redevelopment works were carried out at a cost of Rs.16.90 crore approximately.

Equipped with six badminton courts, GI sheet roofing, wooden sports flooring, epoxy flooring, internal acoustic wall cladding, glass paneling, ACP elevation cladding, false ceiling and folding chairs with a seating capacity of 1,750 spectators, additional works of the stadium include BT road development around the stadium, line marking, painting, lighting, air-conditioning, sports hall lighting, fire safety systems and CCTV surveillance.

Also, an online booking system has been introduced to ensure easy public access to the stadium.

Visakhapatnam Mayor Peela Srinivasa Rao stated that the coalition government led by Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu gives great importance to sports.

He said that the redevelopment and modernisation of the stadium have been completed and the facility has now been made available to the public.

District Collector MN Harendhira Prasad emphasised the importance of sports for public health and stated that the stadium has been reconstructed accordingly. He mentioned that six sports courts and folding chairs with a seating capacity of 1,750 have been provided at the venue and the stadium will be made available to the public for sports activities through online booking.

Later, the GVMC Commissioner mentioned that the stadium has been upgraded with advanced facilities compared to the past and developed using Smart City funds to cater to national and international sports events, as well as public use. Public representatives, officials, and corporators participated in badminton games.