Suhail Bhat
SRINAGAR, July 22: Sports lovers at Lasjan and adjoining areas on city outskirts have alleged that authorities’ apathy over the years has resulted in deterioration of sports field and turned it into a cesspool.
The locals said that ill planned restoration work and soil filling that was carried a few years back has turned the stadium into cesspool and authorities were not making any serious efforts to improve the condition of the field.
The locals lamented that they have already missed the last two sports seasons due to the negligence of the authorities and the poor condition of the playground. “Not a single tournament has been played here which has dampened the sporting spirit of the players. Who will play in a cesspool? The negligence of the authorities has transformed the ground into a wet land. The ground barely witnesses any visitor these days,” Owais Ahmad, a sports enthusiast, said.
Mohammad Arif, a Footballer, said he has not played football for last two years as the ground is in “terrible condition”. “Right from my childhood I have never seen this ground in such a bad condition. However, ever since the soil filling of the ground took place the ground lost the sheen. It remains under water for most of the time,” he said.
Locals said that authorities hastily started the restoration work of the playing field and lacks proper drainage. “The drain often chokes and the water enters into the stadium. There is no mechanism of dewatering available in the ground and the ground surface takes months to dry. Not only this, the water nourishes the weeds in the ground. The tall grass makes it impossible for the players to use the ground for any sports activities,” they said.
Mohammad Sabeel Rather, a local, said that sports lovers used to throng the ground for sports activities. “A large number of players would come here for the sports activities. The footballers used to love the softness of the surface but the ground has lost all the glory now. None visits it these days. People dump waste there now,” he said.
He said these days, instead of players, grazing cows and rain waters are the only things visible on the ground and the condition has forced players to find another place for practice. “Only cows and dogs can be found in the field. The authorities did not properly employ the plan and wasted lots of public money on its restoration. They should seriously look into it,” Rather added.
When contacted, a concerned official said they know about the condition of the ground and will soon draft a plan for its restoration. “The ground will be restored soon,” he said.
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