Gagan Narang plans shooting academy in Thiruvananthapuram

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Olympic medallist Gagan Narang who runs 10 shooting academies across the country has sent a proposal to the state government expressing his interest in setting up an academy at the Vattiyoorkavu shooting range.

The police department which had earlier lost control on the trap & skeet facility in Thrissur will now hand over the National Games shooting range at Vattiyoorkavu to the Sport Department which is seeking private partners.

The department is hell-bent on partnering with Asia's number one player who presently runs a chain of academies under the banner Guns for Glory.

"Mr Narang may offer two separate kinds of training here. One will be an academy for budding talents and another will be the elite academy for national level shooters. The only academies he has in South India are at Hyderabad," said a senior official.

"Government has officially allotted the shooting range to us. It will now clarify about the fund allotment for running the range which requires at least Rs 4.5 lakh per month for maintenance and electricity," the official added.

Meanwhile, the news comes as a shock for state police which had harboured dreams of starting an academy on the Rs 30-crore shooting range. It was waiting for Rs 2 crore to buy sport rifles and ammunition on its own.

The police has withdrawn around half a dozen policemen who used to do the basics of servicing of equipment in the range. The range houses delicate Swiss equipment that could be damaged.