Ranjit Thakur
JAMMU, June 25: Four years on, the construction of Badminton Sports Stadium in Jammu’s Arnia tehsil has been halted, after local residents raised questions over its ‘shape and height’.
The residents of border area Arnia have been demanding that work on Indoor Badminton Sports Stadium must be resumed at an earliest according to national standards. The work on the Badminton stadium inside Red Rose Cricket Stadium, Arnia was started four years back under Border Area Development Programme (BADP) in 2018-19 with estimated cost of Rs 15 Lakh, but after spending around half of the amount, the work was put on halt due to public resentment.
The villagers alleged that the height of a stadium should be 42 feet as per International standards but they are constructing it just above 22 feets which do not even meet the lay down standards for a local stadium.
“I don’t know who designed it so or the engineer has no knowledge. We have requested the concerned authorities on several occasions to increase its height. The players cannot practice and play in a stadium like this,” a local resident said.
“Four years have passed but this indoor stadium is not even seen near to 50 percent completion. We have approached the concerned authorities over the height and pacing of the work, but in response we just have got assurance nothing else,” a local told the media.
“There is a lot of talent here in this border belt of Jammu region, but we have no facilities, if we compare the sports infrastructure of our region with Kashmir, they have more options and better conditions and infrastructure to excel in sports,” he added.
Sarpanch, Treva, Balbir Kour, while speaking exclusively to Excelsior said, “The Government took up a great initiative to provide sports stadiums in every nook and corner to boost sports, but the stadium which is under construction since 2018 is clear evidence of the system’s failure. It’s just a four wall structure with no infra and other required equipment.”
“A fund of Rs 15 lakh was allotted for the stadium under Border Area Development Programme (BADP) in 2018-19 to be built badminton stadium inside Red Rose Cricket Stadium, Arnia to provide better facilities for players in border areas, but till the time the work has reached just halfway. In the first phase of stadium construction, Rs 7 lakh has been utilized, though the tenders of second phase construction are finalized, the work has been obstructed by villagers over the height concern; we have demanded atleast 37 feet height, we cannot leave our players to suffocate here,” Balbir Kour said.
Block Development Officer (BDO), Arnia; Gurjit Singh told the Excelsior, “The construction of the badminton stadium has been stopped after locals raised objections over the height. The project of this stadium was prepared in 2018-19 under Border Area Development with allotment of Rs 15 lakh and half of the amount has been spent on its construction so far. We can’t make changes into the project plan on our own, if Panchayat gives us any memorandum, we will forward it to higher authorities only then something can be done in this regard.”
Players from different villages of the border areas said that they were very much hopeful with the advancement of sports infrastructure in the rural areas. With these projects new hope and new venues will await them in different sports activities and will also help in eradication of drug abuse and other social menaces.
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