Ludhiana gets major boost to sports infrastructure

Both projects to come up at a cost of Rs 4.37 crores at SCD Government College

Ludhiana, November 29, 2025: In a major step towards promoting sports and nurturing talent in the district, Cabinet Minister Sanjeev Arora on Saturday laid the foundation stone for Punjab’s first state-of-the-art Indoor Volleyball Hall and the government Synthetic Tennis Courts at SCD Government College, Ludhiana.

Arora appreciated the efforts of Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Jain for making these projects a reality and ensuring timely progress on sports infrastructure development in the city.

Cabinet Minister Sanjeev Arora stated that the Indoor Volleyball Hall, approved at a cost of Rs 3.6 crores, will be the first dedicated indoor volleyball facility in Punjab. Until now, players had to train and compete in the open, facing extreme heat, rain and cold weather—factors that severely hampered practice and performance. Since volleyball at the Olympic level is exclusively an indoor sport, this new hall will finally provide international-standard training conditions and open the door for Ludhiana’s athletes to compete at the highest level.

Further, Rs 77 lakh has been sanctioned for laying synthetic tennis courts—the first government synthetic courts in the entire district. This long-pending demand of tennis players has now been fulfilled, ensuring year-round, high-quality training surfaces that will directly contribute to improved performance in national and international tournaments.

Arora stated that the Punjab government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann is fully committed to strengthening sports infrastructure across the state. These projects in Ludhiana stand as a testament to that vision. He emphasized that the new Indoor Volleyball Hall and Synthetic Tennis Courts will produce many champions who will bring laurels to Punjab and the country. He said these initiatives mark a new chapter for sports in Ludhiana, providing world-class facilities to athletes and reinforcing Punjab’s position as a powerhouse of Indian sports.

He further highlighted that Ludhiana has already proved its mettle in volleyball, as the SCD Government College team has won the university championship for 14 consecutive years. Even the Indian Volleyball Team includes 6–7 players from Ludhiana, demonstrating the city’s strong sporting legacy.

Arora also mentioned that in the coming days, more than 3000 sports stadiums will be constructed in villages across the state to give a major boost to sports under the Punjab government’s initiative. He added that Khedan Watan Punjab Diyan has already played a key role in this direction and has acted as a catalyst in weaning youth away from the menace of drugs.

Prominent among those present on the occasion included DSO Kuldeep Chugh, Principal Gursharan Singh, District Volleyball Association President Kapil Seth, General Secretary Tarun Bhateja, Saurabh Passi, Sulbha Jindal, and others.