Gangtok, April 22: A synthetic running track, a football ground of “international size” and training centres for athletes will be included in a sports complex in Sikkim that will be completed by April next year. Chief minister Pawan Chamling laid the foundation stone for the Rs 40-crore Khelgaon Complex today.

The complex is being built at Reshithang, about 10km below Gangtok. The Union sports and youth affairs ministry sanctioned the project and Rs 22.89 crore in the last financial year.

The Sikkim government has acquired 12 acres of land for the purpose and a nearby plot of 100 acres will be taken later. The National Building Construction Corporation (NBCC) will construct the complex.

The project will be built in four phases. “In the initial phase, eight synthetic lanes each having 400-metre length will be laid encircling a football field of international size,” said A. K. Vasisth, the general manager of the NBCC. “Additional facilities like galleries and training centres will be constructed later.”

Chamling said the government has plans to make Khelgaon a complex of “international standard”. “We are developing infrastructure and creating assets for people who should utilise these and be custodians for its upkeep.”

The length and width of a football ground for international matches are in the range of 100-110m and 64-75m respectively.

According to the chief minister, a museum will also be set up at Sherathang near Nathu-la to present the history of Colonel Younghusband’s mission to Tibet via Nathu-la in 1904.

The government has also acquired 12 acres of land at Sokeythang on the outskirts of Gangtok for an amusement park comprising a children’s park, library and a culture hub. The place will be developed as a tourist spot.