Ranchi: Decks have been cleared for a centre of excellence to groom aspiring cyclists from the tribal heartland in the sprawling velodrome at Khelgaon in Hotwar here, officials said on Tuesday.Shailendra Pathak, secretary of the Jharkhand Cycling Association, told TOI that the centre of excellence will be set up under the Khelo India programme.“Sports Authority of India (SAI) has given its nod for the project. It will be set up in association with the sports department. The plan recently got the nod and ground works are underway for its rollout soon,” he said, adding that funds for the centre will be shared between the state and Centre.Pathak said that once the centre starts functioning it will boost prospects of budding players. “Due to lack of a proper centre, many cyclists from our state go to other centres of excellence or high-performing centres in other states by using their own funds. In the last few years, many players from Jharkhand are regularly being selected for the national team. Govt has finally realised the need to expedite a centre for cycling,” he said.“As per the plan, the centre will have three coaches — a head coach will be employed by SAI, while two other coaches will be selected by the sports department. Work is on for deployment of the coaches at the department level,” said Pathak.The multi-crore velodrome, constructed as part of the sporting infrastructure for the 2011 National Games in Ranchi, has been untilised so far owing to hurdles. Around 2013-14, the sports department had announced a residential centre for cycling but it couldn’t take off due to various hurdles. Asif Ekram, state art and culture director, who currently holds charge of sports department, couldn’t be contacted for comments.An officer on the condition of anonymity said that the centre will be residential in nature. “As per the plan, it will host 30 players, comprising 15 boys and girls, in the age groups of 12 and 15 years. Besides training, athletes will also pursue their studies from the centre,” he said. The state currently has nine centres of excellences across six disciplines. The centres, operated by the sports department, include archery (Ranchi and Dumka), football (Ranchi), hockey (Ranchi, Khunti — only boys and Simdega), wrestling (Ranchi), badminton (Ranchi) and athletics (Bokaro).