An inter-departmental tiff, as per sources, has played spoilsport

Srinagar: More than five months after it was inaugurated, with much pomp and show, the Pattan Indoor Stadium in Baramulla district continues to remain out of bounds for sports enthusiasts, much to their dismay.
An inter-departmental tiff, as per sources, has played spoilsport.
The indoor stadium had been conceived and sanctioned in the year 2017, with an aim to provide the sports enthusiasts of the area a place to channel their energies.
“This was supposed to be a platform for youth to learn and get better at sports, including Badminton, Basketball, Kung-fu, and other indoor sports,” a source in the district administration told Kashmir Reader.
However, there was an inordinate delay in the construction of the complex and it took more than five years to complete the project. “It was because of the back-to-back lockdowns and a paucity of funds to some extent that hindered the smooth construction on the project,” an official in the executing agency, the Jammu and Kashmir Projects Construction Corporation (JKPCC), told Kashmir Reader.
He said that the project was still completed well in time, but the differences between the district administration and the Sports Council authorities are preventing the use of the Indoor Stadium.
The Sports Council, as per sources, was keen to get the stadium inaugurated their own way but the district administration went ahead and got it inaugurated by the visiting Union Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs, Nisith Pramanik, in June this year. The minister was in Kashmir to get a first-hand assessment of development in the Union Territory, under New Delhi’s special outreach programme.
“Who else was a better person to inaugurate the stadium? And the inauguration couldn’t have been better,” an official in the district administration said, requesting not to be named.
The Sports Council has not taken the showdown lightly, as five months after the inauguration, the Council is yet to take possession of the stadium. As a result, the stadium is yet to get functional and the sports enthusiasts have been left high and dry.
“We were anxiously waiting for it to be inaugurated so that we can indulge in sports activities through the winter months as well, given the fact that outdoor sports come to a halt in Kashmir during winters. It is a pity that the tiff between officials has kept us away from sports,” the local youth told Kashmir Reader.
This reporter tried talking to the Chairperson of the Sports Council, Nuzhat Gul. She however did not receive the calls made by this reporter.
An official in the district sports council of Baramulla confirmed that they were yet to take possession of the stadium officially. “Our engineering work, however, is on to give the structure finishing touches. It remains to be seen when the stadium will be officially taken over and thrown open for the youth,” the official said.

Suhail A Shah