Gani Memorial Stadium and Shaheed-e-Millat Stadium – two main sports fields of Srinagar’s Old City also known as Shahr-e-Khaas – are in dilapidated condition, with sportspersons demanding renovation of the playfields that have hosted many famous tournaments and other events.
Both stadiums would have gone to ruins had not the local sports enthusiasts maintained the grounds to some extent and organised games from time to time, all at their own expense.
“The job the J&K Sports Council was supposed to do is being carried out by local sportspersons. We purchased the roller and made the turf which cost us around Rs 1.5 lakh. We also hire labourers once or twice a month to clean the ground,” Imran Mugloo, vice president of Shaheed-e-Millat Sports Stadium Committee, in Lal Bazar, told Greater Kashmir.
He said the Committee had time and again apprised the Sports Council to develop the stadium where even the construction of the pavilion was left incomplete for years. “They erected this two storey building (pavilion) in 2014 which has neither a washroom nor septic tank. Constructed at the cost of Rs 40 lakh, it has been left unattended for years and now looks like some abandoned house,” he said.
Imran said the authorities installed ten flood lights in 2018 and none of them was functional. “The power supply connection has not been provided to the stadium so that the players could play till late hours. We even asked them for a power generator but to no avail,” he said.
The local players said that among the steps needed to be taken for development of the stadium were: maintaining proper ground level, completing the construction of the pavilion, power supply for floodlights, nylon or fibre net fencing on the wall facing street, mat for middle turf and cemented turf for cricket practice. The Committee said every time they approached the Sports Council, the officials present there would say that they had no funds.
“This has been going for years. Now in January 2021, I again sent a reminder to the Sports Council. They advertised an e-tender notice on January 11, 2021 for installation of GenSet 45 KVA and the opening of bids (online) was fixed on the 27th date of the same month. On February 3, 2021, the Council again advertised e-tenders for development of Shaheed-e-Millat Stadium which included levelling/turfing, roofing of seating tiers from school side and electrification of pavilion building. The time of opening of bids (online) was fixed on the 13th date of the same month. However, on March 10, 2021, much to our shock and disappointment, the tender was cancelled,” the players said.
Xen J&K Sports Council Naeem Bakshi cited “some administrative issues regarding funds” as the reason behind cancellation of the e-tenders. He however said that the Council will advertise tender(s) in a month or two regarding the overall development of the Shaheed-e-Millat Sports Stadium. Meanwhile, the locals as well as sportspersons have expressed concern over presence of garbage right outside one of the entrances of the stadium.
The Shaheed-e-Millat Sports Stadium Committee said they recently asked the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) not to dump garbage outside the stadium. “Since then, SMC didn’t unload garbage here however they have not cleaned the area. The stinky smell still emanates. This needs to be taken care of,” Imran said. Likewise, Gani Memorial Stadium, situated at the heart of Shahr-e-Khaas – Rajouri Kadal – is another example of official apathy. Except for the pavilion, it lacks almost everything.
“The ground level and outfield is uneven. The floodlights installed in 2019 at the cost of Rs 1.24 crore are non-operational. The field remains submerged in water after every rainfall due to the defunct drainage system which often gets overflowed. Even the drainage water from several localities of Old City gets accumulated here,” the players present at the ground said. Secretary J&K Sports Council Nuzhat Gull along with a team of engineers recently visited the stadium. Next day, much of the water was drained out from the ground along with the help of local players. However, the four days of incessant rainfall again inundated the ground.
“We are thankful to Secretary Nuzhat Ji and appreciate her visit. However, she should have talked to players and listened to all the issues they were facing,” the players of Gani Memorial Reds, a cricket club, told Greater Kashmir.
“We have to drain out the water by hiring the motor and pipes at our own expense. We are suffering a lot due to this water-logging as the sports-loving people are desperately waiting for games to be held in this historical stadium,” they said.
The players said that a comprehensive strategy needs to be chalked out to resolve the water-logging issue once and for all. “The Sports Council must level the ground, make turf, install a few more floodlights and make the previous ones functional, and complete other works,” they said.
The youth of the area said that a single-storey hall meant for gym and table tennis in the stadium should be upgraded to double-storey structure. “The ground part should be kept for the gym and the upper portion for table tennis,” they said. “Four years ago, the then Secretary Sports Council promised us that he will bring gym equipment but nothing has been done till date.” The senior players present at both stadiums said the Kashmiri youth were much passionate about sports but were not being provided facilities. They said that a sport was not only instrumental in the overall development of a person but keeps the youth at bay from immoral activities.
“The government must exhibit seriousness in promoting sports in Jammu and Kashmir by creating infrastructure at grassroots level rather than making hollow claims every other day,” they said. “Being a sportsperson herself, it would not be hard for the new Secretary of J&K Sports Council to feel the level of enthusiasm among youth towards sports. We hope she takes the sports in J&K to new heights.”