Most of the schemes and projects in respect of providing sports and related infrastructure in Pulwama district of south Kashmir are reported to be in a mess and promises, projections and plans listed in the vision document of the district are seen nowhere on the ground. As is fairly known and on account of maximum part of the year due to weather conditions , it is not possible to use open sports fields especially during harsh and prolonged winter months in Kashmir valley , facilities like indoor multipurpose sports hall , therefore, are much needed. Not only would such a sports hall cater to most of the sports activities throughout the year but also boost, in particular, the indoor games. Likewise, proposed open-air gym centre too appears to be more on paper and very less rather a zilch beyond that as during the last full year , no progress is seen to have been made in that respect. As regards the cost of raising of such an essential infrastructure for promoting sports and physical fitness, the open-air gym and the multipurpose sports hall would touch as per estimates Rs.5 lakh and Rs.50 lakh respectively only.
Table Tennis , snooker , basketball, badminton even carom etc like indoor sports and games which predominantly are played within an enclosed building for which the provision in the district vision document for an indoor sports hall is there and which by now would have been all complete, could have resulted in generating interest to a larger extent in the desirous people, usually the young, to take part in such sports activities . Likewise, open-air gym would have been not only a new experience for the people in respect of the related facilities and not required to spend avoidable money on visiting private gyms at non convenient hours but helping in promoting their physical activities and well being. Such a facility would benefit people of all ages resulting in addressing various physical ailments and life style related disorders especially helping in reducing obesity, controlling blood pressure and improving cardiovascular health, flexibility and endurance besides exposure to sufficient sunlight . The causes of delay in starting work on these small projects of sports infrastructure are not known but the people not only are surprised but their expectations too are not proved to have come right.
Sports hall is such a venue where not only sports can be played but using energies for excelling in them and thus channelizing energies in right direction and thus would result in discouraging wasting time in unproductive, wasteful and even undesirable activities besides not falling in the allurement trap of drugs laid by drug traffickers and criminals mostly in respect of the young . It is , therefore, necessary that sports infrastructure must be provided in each district of Jammu and Kashmir and people, especially those in the young age group, motivated to take part in sports activities as a routine . However, on discreet enquiries , we have learnt that the idea of construction of an open-air- gym has been stalled though the project report is prepared and duly submitted but there is no formal approval for the actual work to be started. Likewise, in respect of multi-purpose sport hall too, nothing definite about its fate is known . We feel the concerned authorities need to look into the matter and initiate necessary steps in providing the required sports infrastructure in Pulwama district in south Kashmir.
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