Fifa recce at Shillong Polo ground ‎

Courtesy: The Telegraph

An official from the Federation Internationale de Football Association (Fifa) today said the world’s soccer governing body is looking forward to assist India in developing soccer grounds.

Eric Harrison, Fifa consultant, after inspecting the progress of the construction of an artificial playing surface at the Polo ground here, said, “Fifa is committed to developing more soccer grounds with artificial turf in India.”

Harrison said apart from the Shillong project, Fifa is also involved in constructing similar grounds in Bangalore, Mumbai and Imphal. “We are hoping to develop such grounds in Goa and Calcutta as well,” Harrison added.

The Shillong project, pegged at around Rs 6 crore, was envisioned in 2009, but the actual construction commenced in January this year. According to Harrison, Fifa expects the ground to be ready before June. “We want to ensure that the ground is the best,” he said. Harrison said the normal lifespan of an artificial playing surface is between eight and 10 years.

Normal usage of such grounds is around 40 hours per week, he added.The Fifa Quality Concept for Football Turf is a rigorous testing programme for artificial football surfaces. The objectives of the Fifa Quality Concept for Football Turf includes creation of recognised standards, ensuring global consistency and increase product quality for artificial playing surfaces around the world.

Read more...

Meghalaya gets NIT

Courtesy: The Shillong Times

The Centre has approved setting up of nine National Institutes of Technology (NITs) including one in Meghalaya, which will start functioning from next year. These national-level institutes will be set up at a cost of Rs 2,350 crore. Besides in Meghalaya, seven other NITs will be set up in Manipur, Mizoram, Goa, Nagaland, Sikkim, Pudducherry, Uttarakhand and Delhi.

The Union Cabinet gave its go ahead to these institutes, which will either be started in campuses on lease or in the campuses of older NITs till the new ones get their own infrastructure, Minister of Information and Broadcasting Ambika Soni told reporters here on Thursday.

The process of setting up these institutes will start next year with the formation of respective societies, constitution of their board of governors and appointment of directors. At present, there are 20 NITs in the country. The government had decided to set up ten new NITs in those states which do not have such institutions. Although the government has plans to set up a NIT in Arunachal Pradesh, it could not be taken up in the Cabinet in view of the model code of conduct being in place for the assembly elections there.

Construction of campus of the NITs will be started only after the state governments provide land for the purpose. The campuses will be set up over a period of five years, she said. The institutes will cater to the needs of states and union territories that do not have NITs. These NITs will be covered under the National Institutes of Technology Act and will be made institutions of national importance.

"About 50 per cent of the seats in these institutes will be filled up by eligible students of the concerned states and union territories," Ms Soni said. Five of the nine institutes are meant for Northeastern states which are lacking national level technical institutions. The institutes will offer courses in engineering and science and will undertake research and development in emerging areas.

The new institutes have been categorised under two schemes. NITs in Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Goa, Sikkim and Pudducherry will come under scheme A while NIT Delhi and Uttarakhand will come under scheme B.

Each of the NITs under scheme A will be established at a cost of Rs 250 crore while each of the institute in scheme B will be set up at a cost of Rs 300 crore. The allocation for these projects under the 11th Plan is Rs 540 crore while the allocation for this year will be Rs 50 crore.

Read more...