Augmenting sports infrastructure in state

13/07/2019

You’ll be healthier, sports require you to move your body, and it’s a commonly known fact that exercise is good for your health. Physical activity helps control weight, combats health conditions and diseases, improves mood, boosts energy and promotes better sleep. It helps children to develop mental and physical toughness. Sport shapes their body and makes it strong and active. But Jammu and Kashmir’s performance in the execution of over Rs 200 crore worth projects particularly those sanctioned under Prime Minister’s Development Package (PMDP) for augmenting sports infrastructure in different parts of the State has remained dismal and no exact time-frame has been specified for the completion of the same. A total of 10 projects seven under Prime Minister’s Development Package for enhancement of sports facility in Jammu and Kashmir and three under Urban Sports Infrastructure and Khelo India Schemes were sanctioned by the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports for Jammu and Kashmir several years back. Out of these 10 projects sanctioned at a cost of over Rs 210 crore, only two projects worth Rs 7.13 crore have been completed by the executing agencies till date and this is the clear testimony of dilly-dallying approach in augmenting sports infrastructure, which otherwise is imperative to provide better facilities to the sportsmen so as to enable them to compete in the national and international events.
But long time back a project worth Rs 6 crore was sanctioned for construction of a multi-purpose Indoor Hall at Leh under Urban Sports Infrastructure Scheme (USIS). However, the project has not been completed till date. The slackness in the execution of this project can be gauged from the fact that only 62% work has been completed till date as a result of which only an amount of Rs 3.60 crore has been released by the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. About projects under Prime Minister’s Development Package, only 60% progress has been made on Rs 40.86 crore worth project for renovation and development of Bakshi Stadium Srinagar to International Federation of Association Football Standard. Though the physical progress in respect of Rs 42.17 crore worth project for renovation and development of Maulana Azad Stadium Jammu to International Cricket Conference (ICC) standard is 70% yet it has already missed the completion deadlines and this project is aimed at providing infrastructure for holding of international cricket matches. The time has come, Govt should show some serious approach towards providing sports infa to the youth of state as this will help in making brighter society and keeping youth far from the bad habits including drugs as it is one the main problems in India these days especially in J&K.

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