*DPR worth Rs 116 cr yet to get Adm Council’s approval
Goldi Sharma
JAMMU, Mar 21: The development of ambitious Multipurpose Sports Complex cum Green Avenue at Bhagwati Nagar is still a distant dream due to callousness on the part of the J&K Sports Council as the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of worth Rs 116.65 cr is yet not approved by the Administrative Council.
The foundation stone of the project was laid by former Chief Secretary BVR Subrahmanyam in the year 2019 and announced that Rs 13.90 crore would be spent on this project in the first phase through a funding agency-J&K Infrastructure Development Funding Corporation (JKIDFC).
“Initially, the construction wing of the Council had made the DPR of the first phase of Rs 13.90 crore and sent it to the General Administrative Department for its approval but ironically the officials at higher rung had rejected the proposal and asked the construction wing to prepare a overall DPR of the project,” said well placed sources in the Council.
Thereafter, the Council’s construction wing made the final DPR of worth Rs 116.65 crore and also held technical bid and the same was forwarded to Administrative Council for its final approval in the year of 2021 but till date, the Sports Council failed to get approval for the project due to unknown reasons.
“The then Development Commissioner Works also directed the Sports Council to get Flood Department’s clearance for the project as well as settled the land transfer issue with District Administration,” said sources, adding that thereafter, the Council repeatedly asked the District Administration to transfer the land measuring 265 Kanals, out of 418 situated at right bank of the Tawi river but nothing concrete has happened so far.
Sportsperson alleged that since the foundation stone was laid by the then Chief Secretary at the proposed site of the Sports Complex cum Green Avenue at Bhagwati Nagar, the Council did nothing for its development resulting the venue site has turned into a dumping yard of Jammu Municipal Corporation and sewerage was seen littered everywhere.
“Everyday several garbage laden vehicles of Corporation could be seen unloading the garbage and filth at the proposed site of the Sports Complex at Bhagwati Nagar,” they said.
“As per the DPR, the JKSC has to dig up-to 9 feet deep from the bed of ground and a solid protection bund would also be developed around the proposed site to protect the Complex from floods in river Tawi. But the continuous dumping of the garbage over the bed of the proposed site by the JMC will ultimately create hurdles for the development of the Sports Complex with increase of financial burden as well as delay in the construction works”, said an official of the Council.
Under the DPR, the proposed facilities to be made include pavilions, sitting tiers with other facilities having capacity of 30,000 people, various courts i,e Basketball, Volleyball, Handball, Kho-Kho, Cricket practice pitches, Skating Rink etc, Development of internal area of stadium including drainage works and draining/ shifting of nallahs, open kiosk, development of internal roads and parking areas, toilet blocks for ladies and gents, ATM block, illumination including P A system and score boards etc. with DG set and electrical substation, main entrance gate, flood lights for stadia, provision for OHT 1.5 lac litres capacity including development of sources and distribution lines and shifting of HT line to the periphery of the complex and many others.
During the ceremony, the then Chief Secretary had announced that the proposed Multipurpose Sports Complex cum Green Avenue would be one of the premier Sports Stadiums of Jammu having 70,000 sitting capacity including Central Complex having 500 seats for the guests and a sports venue where all the games would be played to help the budding players to explore themselves for National and International matches. “Though it was announced that the stadium would have a sitting capacity of 70,000 but as per new DPR, the sitting capacity has been reduced to 30,000 spectators,” sources said.
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