Tale of two simultaneously announced Water Sports Centres
Goldi Sharma
JAMMU, Dec 16: Three crores each Water Sports Centres were announced simultaneously for Jammu and Kashmir regions under Prime Minister’s Development Projects (PMDP) in the year of 2017, the Kashmir based project has completed and inaugurated, but Jammu’s Centre is still waiting for the start of construction since its announcement.
These Water Sports Centres were announced at Nehru Park Dalgate Srinagar and Ranjit Sagar Lake Basholi (Kathua), wherein the former project has been completed and inaugurated recently by the Lt Governor, Manoj Sinha on October 28, but the same project announced simultaneously for Jammu division yet to start its construction work resulting Jammu based sports lovers depriving to avail same facilities here.
Sources informed that the executing body-the J&K Sports Council had decided the site for the construction of the Water Sports Centre at Palai in Basholi near the Tourism department building. “As the Council had started the construction work last year, the owners of the land objected to this construction before Assistant Development Commissioner Basholi and demanded compensation of their land. Now the Council has deposited nearly 32 lakhs in addition to project cost as compensation money of the proposed land to District Development Commissioner Kathua, but the final call regarding transfer of land to the Council is yet to be taken,” sources informed while wishing anonymity.
The sources alleged that the callousness on part of the J&K Sports Council as well as District Administration can be gauged from this fact that on one hand, the Kashmir based Water Sports Centre is declared open for organising all activities, while on other hand, the premier body of the sports has failed to take possession of a piece of land where construction work will be started.
“The Kashmir based officials of the executing agency (JK Sports Council) completed the construction work of the Water Sports Centre despite all odd situations like shortage of manpower (labourers) since abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, followed by spurt of COVID-19 pandemic but the officials who are at helm of affairs of the Council seems least bothered for the construction of the centre at Basholi,” said another sources.
An official on condition of anonymity informed Excelsior that in this regard, the Council had floated a tender of Rs 1.75 lakh for the construction of dormitory for boys and girls, changing rooms, conference hall and auditorium in the month of January this year and the same work was allotted to a Basholi based contractor but due to delay in transfer of land by the Deputy Commissioner and ADC Basholi, the construction work is lingering on so far. “If the delay continues, the cost of the project will definitely accelerate and deprive the sports lovers from the water sports activities for some more times,” they added.
Pertinent to mention here that both the projects were sanctioned under Prime Minister’s Development Projects (PMDP) of Rs 200 crores, wherein 44 crores have been allocated for the construction of each Indoor Hall at every district of erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir, while nearly Rs 88 crores were sanctioned for the renovation and development of both the premier stadiums of Jammu and Kashmir, i,e MA Stadium and Bakshi Stadium and besides others sports projects.
The incumbent Government of Jammu and Kahsmir is mulling to establish a Sports Academy in Jammu and Kashmir for proper mentoring and monitoring of budding talents, but the premier body of the Council is leaving no stone unturned to spoil its commitment which has been made time to time with sports lovers.
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