Jahangeer Ganaie
Srinagar, Feb 05 : Even after elapsing over four years, the Indoor Sports Stadium at Arhama area of South Kashmir’s Shopian district is awaiting completion as the long delay has left hundreds of sports lovers dejected.
Players from different villages of the district told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), that they were very much hopeful about enhancing the sports infrastructure in the area. “We were hopeful that the youth will get engaged in different sports activities and will remain away from drugs, however, after completion of around four years, the project seems nowhere near completion,” they said.
They said that since the beginning, the construction work is going at snails’ pace due to which all sports lovers besides players are feeling annoyed.
“The project was given a deadline of two years, however, four years have passed but the project is yet to get completed,” said Aijaz Ahmad, a local resident. “The stadium, if completed, will prove beneficial for budding talented players.”
He said that the valley is facing the nuisance of drug addiction which is due to lack of recreational opportunities for the youth. “Such projects are very important to keep them away from drugs,” said Mudasir Ahmad, a local social activist.
Locals said that they have brought this issue into notice of concerned authorities but so far nothing changed on ground.
They once again requested authorities to complete this project at the earliest so that youth can get involved in sports activities and remain away from drugs.
Pertinently, the project is being executed by JKPCC with an estimated cost of Rs 4 crore.
Deputy General Manager JKPCC Shabir Ahmad Najar told KNO that work on the project is going on and it will be completed by May this year—(KNO)
