Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, June 7: Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Youth Affairs and Sports, MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh announced here today the decision to allocate Rs. 42 crore for upgradation of Maulana Azad Stadium in Jammu.
Dr Jitendra Singh, who was assigned the additional charge of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports over a week back, was speaking after convening a meeting of the Ministry to discuss some of the pending issues related to Jammu & Kashmir. He said, the execution of work for upgradation of MA Stadium has been entrusted to NPCC which will further engage different agencies and added that his Ministry will try to follow up and ensure that the work should start some time after the culmination of the upcoming monsoon season, possibly before the year end.
The upgradation of the MA Stadium, said Dr Jitendra Singh, will include a modern synthetic athletic track, synthetic hockey track, swimming pool, upgraded facility of toilets, galleries and change rooms as well as provision for latest sports equipment.
Responding to a demand for providing a cover-head over the existing swimming pool, Dr Jitendra Singh said, Rs. 2 crore has already been earmarked and allocation of further amount can be considered after receiving a detailed estimate from J&K Sports Council.
In addition to MA Stadium in Jammu, Dr Jitendra Singh said, the existing stadiums in Poonch and Rajouri will also be upgraded at the cost of Rs. 4 crore.
Soon, Dr Jitendra Singh said, a detailed layout plan will also be disclosed for upgradation of the Bakshi Stadium in Srinagar and 12 indoor game halls at other different locations of the State. An execution plan is also being worked out for promotion of water sports at Mansar in Jammu and Pahalgam in Kashmir, he added.
Union Secretary for Sports, Rajeev Yadav and other senior officers were present at the meeting.
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