New synthetic lawn tennis courts project on hold amid logistical challenges

Ludhiana: Ludhiana district does not have any sports department or government-owned facilities for lawn tennis. Considering this, a new sports project was planned in November 2025 to lay synthetic tennis courts at a cost of Rs 77 lakh, along with another sports project at SCD Government College. A foundation stone was also laid to mark the beginning of these projects in the presence of a Punjab government minister and other officials.However, at SCD Government College, the tennis court project faced a logistical hurdle as several mature trees were located at the proposed site. This led to a change of venue, and the project was shifted to Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), where the existing tennis courts were planned to be reconstructed using the latest technology and equipment.At the new location at PAU, officials from the sports department said a fresh concern has emerged regarding the long-term maintenance of the proposed synthetic lawn tennis courts. As a result, the project—which was earlier shifted from SCD Government College to PAU — is currently on hold, with officials evaluating options and possible solutions to determine the most suitable site for installing the courts.When contacted, district sports officer (DSO) Kuldeep Chugh said city athletes had been demanding a lawn tennis facility, following which the project was conceived. However, he said changes had to be made to the original plan as the proposed site at SCD Government College had well-grown trees. "The alternative plan was to reconstruct the existing tennis courts at PAU using synthetic material, but issues related to long-term maintenance and other logistical difficulties have also come up," he said."The department is working on the matter, and once a suitable solution and site are finalised, the work will begin," Chugh added.Local athletes continue to wait for the district's first lawn tennis courts project to take off. Meanwhile, the other sports project launched on the same day—construction of indoor volleyball courts at SCD Government College at an estimated cost of around ₹3.5 crore—will be executed at the original site. Officials from the sports department said tenders for the project have been completed and work will begin soon.
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