New Delhi, Apr 15 (IANS): The sports ministry Friday opened the venues of the 2010 Commonwealth Games to the general public under a "Come and Play" scheme.

Sports Minister Ajay Maken told reporters that under the scheme, anyone can pay monthly fees ranging from Rs.75 to Rs.500 to use facilities for training at the eight venues for the Commonwealth Games. Concessions will be given to female sportspersons and government school students, while the facilities will be free for children from Below Poverty Line (BPL) families.

The scheme was proposed by a legacy committee comprising P.T. Usha, Bhaichung Bhutia, M.C. Mary Kom, Dilip Tirkey and senior sports journalist K. Datta, along with the secretary (sports). The committee was constituted to prepare a blueprint for the legacy utilisation of the venues post the Games.

"The Nehru Stadium and Talkatora Swimming Pool Complex will be enhanced and upgraded as 'Centres of Excellence' for football and swimming. In addition to this, they will also be equipped with residential facilities for elite athletes. There will be 70 coaches in all the stadiums to impart training to children," said Maken.

Maken also said that the youngsters who perform well during the training sessions will be given scholarships by the sports ministry.

On the issue of draft sports legislation, Maken said the ministry hasn't received anything from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to register themselves as a National Sports Federation (NSF).

"We have written a letter to BCCI along with a copy of our Draft Sports Legislation. The joint secretary of Ministry of Sports has written letters to all National Sports Federations including the Indian Cricket Board for their comments on this draft legislation," Maken said.

"And we have got about 80-100 suggestions and objections. But the BCCI so far doesn't figure in it. But we are going to have an open house discussion at various parts of the country and any NSF or any individual who wants to give any suggestion would be considered by the ministry," he added.

Asked what if the BCCI doesn't register themselves as a NSF, Maken said: "The proposed National Sports Act is a legislation for all sports federations. In the draft bill which will be tabled at the Parliament during the monsoon session, cricket falls under schedule 2 thereby making the cricket controlling body as one of the NSFs. That is the present position as far as the draft legislation is concerned."

On the reported Indian cricketers' unwillingness to tour Pakistan, Maken said safety and security of the players cannot be compromised.

"As sports minister I would say that the safety and security of our players is paramount. They must be provided with top class security. But as a sports ministry, we would obviously like our sportspersons to visit as many places as possible to play matches," said Maken.

Maken said the ministry would be happy if sporting ties between India and Pakistan goes beyond cricket.