Chennai offers free sports gear and inclusive parks

Chennai is launching a new initiative to support young athletes by providing free sports equipment at city playgrounds. These resources include cricket bats, footballs, and basketballs. The city plans to spend 20 crore to enhance 150 playgrounds and make them vibrant sports hubs. Deputy Mayor M Mahesh Kumar announced that there will be new courts for sports like football, tennis, badminton, volleyball, and basketball. Each playground will have staff to ensure proper maintenance. To encourage participation, the corporation will set up secure storage for sports gear. The city will also hire 141 temporary physical education teachers through YMCA to train students in school playgrounds. A budget of 2.34 crore has been allocated for this purpose. Moreover, the GCC will spend 1.25 crore on sports equipment for 105 corporation schools. Students competing in track events will receive branded shoes worth 2,500 if they participate three times. The corporation will also provide 500 per student for travel and food when they represent their schools at various competitions. To improve safety, 171 temporary security guards will be hired at a cost of 5 crore. The city has also allocated funds to create reading zones in 70 parks and renovate 300 parks across the city. Furthermore, 10 special parks for children with disabilities will be developed at a cost of 3 crore.