Sports Minister Harin Fernando said in Parliament yesterday (13) that construction work of Polonnaruwa Hingurakgoda International Test Cricket Stadium is to be started next year and an amount of 1.5 billion rupees has been allocated for the development of small pitches in rural areas.
The Minister said that under the leadership of the Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and with the participation of Sidath Wettamuni and with the participation of Aravinda de Silva, small pitches will be developed and in addition, the support of the army will be taken for the development of small pitches.
The Minister said this while replying to the question asked by MP Kins Nelson, who was expecting an oral answer.
The Minister also stated that the construction of the Hingurakgoda International Airport will be done next year and at the same time an international test cricket stadium can be built to improve sports tourism.
The Minister said that a programme is being implemented to promote cricket and other sports by contacting organizations like Dialog and Telecom and the relevant organizations have been requested to provide a free pass to the children of the province.
The Minister also said that due to the political appointments made in the Ministry of Sports, the activities of the Ministry have been hampered and steps will be taken to provide solutions to the related problems within a month.
The Minister said that a pavilion was created without a field in Bingiriya and that a special committee should be set up to find out how such destruction happened.