Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) ahmedabad

YMCA International Centre will come up on an area of 4 lakh sq ft on SG Highway

DILIP PATEL 9825045322


Atrack for joggers, a gymnasium, a western spa, a stadium for indoor games, swimming pools, a discotheque, plush rooms, a banquet hall, a minitheatre — all this and probably more at one place.
The Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) has started work on what is being trumpeted as mother of all clubs.
The club, christened YMCA International Centre, will come up on the organisation’s sprawling plot on SG Highway. “Construction work has begun. We expect the place to be ready within 16 months,” the secretary of YMCA and chairman of its cultural committee, Charul Vakta, said. “We focused on the tastes of youngsters and foreign tourists while preparing its design.”
He said that the four-storey club would be spread over 4 lakh sq feet. “A banquet hall will come up on an area of 20,000 sq ft. It will be the largest such hall in the city,” Vakta said. “There will also be a lawn on 1 lakh sq ft space.”
This ambitious project, whose design has been prepared by UK-based firm Lewis & Hickey, will require an investment of Rs 100 crore. It promises to add to the appeal of SG Highway.
“With more than 30 rooms and six suites, YMCA International Centre will vie for a major share of foreign tourists arriving in the city,” he said.
The YMCA secretary said that the organisation was examining the possibility of building a hotel behind its plot on SG Highway.
“There are no concrete plans at present. We will explore options after the international centre is ready,” he said.

HOST OF FACILITIES

THE CLUB, which will be affiliated to 15,000 YMCA centres and clubs across the world, will have a host of facilities.
It will have a basement parking for a staggering 1,000 cars. It will have a gym and four swimming pools for kids and adults. One of the pools, interestingly, will be reserved for women. There will be a stadium for indoor games and sports such as table tennis, volleyball, basketball, badminton and billiards.
A discotheque will be constructed on an area of 4,000 sq feet. “There will also be a dining room for guests, a western spa and a 150-seat movie hall,” Vakta said.

IN DA CLUB

A track for joggers A gymnasium A western spa A stadium for indoor games 34 plush rooms A banquet hall A dinning hall A 150-seat theatre 4 swimming pools A discotheque