Foundation stone laid in 2019
Goldi Sharma Asgotra
JAMMU, Feb 12: The proposed site for the establishment of Multipurpose Sports Complex cum Green Avenue at Bhagwati Nagar, where a foundation stone for the Complex was laid by Chief Secretary BVR Subrahmanyam in the beginning of year 2019, has turned into a dumping yard with continuous increase in the number of garbage, heaps and sewerage waste littered everywhere.
Everyday several garbage laden vehicles and some sewerage filled tankers of Jammu Municipal Corporation could be seen unloading the garbage and filth at the proposed site of the Sports complex at Bhagwati Nagar. The Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council (JKSC), which is the executing agency for the development of the Complex, has reportedly sent many official communiqués to the JMC office, asking them not to dump garbage at the proposed site but for no avail, said an official of JKSC.
The Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the proposed Sports Complex at Bhagwati Nagar, worth Rs. 116.88 crores were recently submitted to the J&K Government for further development. “As per the DPR, the JKSC has to dig up up-to 9 feet deep from bed of ground and a solid protection bund would also be developed around the proposed site to protect the Complex from floods in river Tawi. But the continuous dumping of the garbage over the bed of the proposed site by the JMC will ultimately impact the development of the complex with increase of financial burden as well as delay in the construction works”, an official said.
As per DPR, located along the right side of river Tawi, the area of proposed complex spreads over 412 kanals of land and it would be largest stadium of Jammu division, where all the prominent games like Cricket, Volleyball, Football, Badminton etc will be played simultaneously. The foundation stone was laid by the Chief Secretary on March 3, 2019. During the ceremony, the Chief Secretary had announced that the proposed Multipurpose Sports Complex cum Green Avenue would be one of the premier Sports Stadiums of Jammu having 70,000 sitting capacity including Central Complex having 500 seats for the guests and a sports venue where all the games would be played to help the budding players to explore themselves for National and International matches. Though it was announced that the stadium would have a sitting capacity of 70,000 but as per new DPR, the sitting capacity has been reduced to 30,000 spectators, sources said.
One day prior to the foundation stone laying ceremony, Rs 13.90 crores were approved for the completion of Phase-I works through a funding agency Jammu and Kashmir Infrastructure Development Funding Corporation (JKIDFC). “Ironically after the lapse of one year, the executing agency has so far failed to start construction work while on the other hand the foundation stone erected at Bhagwati Nagar has been surrounded with garbage’ heaps and soon would become invisible”, said another official of JKSC, adding that large number of plants were planted at the proposed site but maximum of them have got buried under the garbage.
Sources informed the Excelsior that the reasons behind delay to start construction works at the proposed site is that after the announcements the JKSC had forwarded a DPR of a particular work costing Rs 13.80 crores to the Finance Department for approval but the Finance department and the Chief Secretary office directed the executing agency- to make an overall Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the said project rather than bifurcating the entire work into small works.
Thereafter, the JKSC made another DPR of the project costing Rs 200 crores in which Rs 116.88 crores have been forward for final approval to the Government of Jammu and Kashmir recently.
“The new DPR has got the nod of Finance department and has been finally forwarded to the State Administrative Council (SAC) for final approval. After SAC’s approval, tenders of Rs 116.88 crores would be floated for the project”, said JKSC official while wishing anonymity.
Under the new DPR, the proposed facilities to be made include pavilions, sitting tiers with other facilities having capacity of 30,000 people, various courts i,e Basketball, Volleyball, Handball, Kho-Kho, Cricket practice pitches, Skating Rink etc, Development of internal area of stadium including drainage works and draining/ shifting of nallahs, open kiosk, development of internal roads and parking areas, toilet blocks for ladies and gents, ATM block, illumination including P A system and score boards etc. with DG set and electrical sub station, main entrance gate, flood lights for stadia, provision for OHT 1.5 lacs litres capacity including development of sources and distribution lines and shifting of HT line to the periphery of the complex and many others.
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