Anakapalli: Anakapalli District Collector Vijaya Krishnan instructed Zilla Parishad CEO P Narayana Murthy to acquire land for playgrounds in 24 mandal centres of the district with an area of not less than 25 cents each.

Speaking at the District Sports Development Committee meeting held here on Monday, the District Collector mentioned that if talented youths are identified and given appropriate training and encouragement, they will certainly shine in the field.

The Collector instructed the sports development officers to promote sports in the district and encourage youths to hone their sports skills. She advised the youth to give priority to sports as well along with studies.

Further, the District Collector directed the committee members to ensure that the youth do not fall into the trap of bad habits and provide them a platform to take up sports.

Also, Vijaya Krishnan instructed the District Panchayat Officer to thoroughly examine the land proposed for the construction of 31 sports grounds with an extent of 10 to 15 cents suggested in each panchayat.

The Collector advised the officials to coordinate with the mandal special officer and PET/PD and submit a viable report for the proposed project.

Joint Collector M Jahnavi, in-charge District Revenue Officer Subbalakshmi, District Sports Development Officer Pujari Sailaja, DPO O Sandeep, DWAMA PD Purnima Devi, Municipal Commissioners of Elamanchili, Anakapalli, Narsipatnam and committee members participated in the meeting.