Srinagar: In a review meeting held today, Advisor to Lieutenant Governor, Farooq Khan, took stock of preparations made by the concerned departments for construction of different sports infrastructure projects in Jammu division.
The meeting was called to discuss the work and plan for raising of world-class sports infrastructure in Jammu which includes the state of the art Arun Jaitley Stadium, Hiranagar, Water Sports Centre, Basholi and Synthetic Football ground, Parade.
In this meeting, the consultants for all these projects also participated including the engineers of sports department to give overview of all the plans and procedures they are going to adopt to complete these projects.
The Advisor urged upon them to create world class infrastructure at all the places that is in consonance with the set international standards. He impressed upon them to develop all these projects on the lines so that national and even international sports activities are held there.
Advisor Khan also inspected the drawings and IT models of these projects prepared by the consultants and pointed out certain changes and modifications in view of future requirements or facilitation of players and spectators. He asked them to take care of surrounding aesthetics and proper beautification of all these projects simultaneously creating infrastructure without compromising with the quality of work.
The Advisor further asked the department to stick to the deadlines and dedicate the projects to public on the scheduled time. He asked them to put penalty clause in the tenders so that no willful delay is committed by the executing agency.
The Advisor was informed that the Arun Jaitley Stadium at Hiranagar is a prestigious project worth around Rs 60 crore and includes many other facilities. These includes cricket ground, synthetic athletic track, synthetic hockey field, synthetic football turf, swimming pool, boxing ring with many other allied facilities for players and spectators.
It was also given out that a synthetic football ground at Parade, Jammu would be a FIFA standard ground in the heart of the city. He was informed that the facility would have all the amenities for the players of the game. The facility would be raised at a cumulative cost of Rs 5 crore and would be eligible to host any national event, the meeting was informed.
For the Water Sports Centre, Basholi, being developed on the Ranjit Sagar Dam it was said that the facility is being created at a cost of Rs 3 crores. The centre would have high class infrastructure to host all the water sports events of national importance. It would have the facility of boat shed, gymnasium, change room, food court, medical care unit and allied facilities, as was given out in the meeting.
The meeting was apprised that these projects are going to be of highest standard and would help in chiselling the local talent besides honing skills of all the sports persons for making them ready to compete at international and national level.
Meanwhile, Advisor to Lieutenant Governor, Farooq Khan, deliberated upon honing the sporting skills of school children with the President of School Games Federation of India (SGFI).
The meeting was attended by Principal Secretary, Youth Services & Sports, Alok Kumar; Administrative Secretary School Education, BK Singh; DG YSS, Dr Saleem ur Rehman, Secretary Sports Council, Nuzhat Gul and other officers and representatives of the Youth Services and SGFI respectively.
The Advisor asked the President SGFI to look for the ways and means of establishing Wrestling and Boxing academies in the twin divisions of Jammu and Kashmir. He maintained that J&K has raised enough infrastructure during the past few years along the length and breadth of UT that has enabled it to establish sports training facilities anywhere. He asked them that these sports are popular here and world class players could be produced with little handholding in such games.
He asked the Federation that the local government would extend all the help to it for the same. The Advisor even invited the SGFI for organising National and Zonal level winter games events here as J&K has all the infrastructure and manpower available for such sporting activities.
Khan advised that for players participating from outside the requisite training and preparatory schedules should also be framed. He maintained that J&K has the best of infrastructure and coaches available for winter sports and successfully conducted the ‘Khelo India Winter Games’ at Gulmarg recently.
Advisor Khan mentioned that J&K is already on the path of establishing the world class residential sports academies of Football and Hockey where the students would be provided best sports coaching and facilities besides education from renowned schools. He gave out that around 30 students each year would be given admission in these residential sports academies and support extended till they reaches the 12th standard.
The Advisor said that schools are the breeding grounds of talent and we have to identify it and catch them young to support them for better. He propounded that tournaments at panchayat or tehsil level would be organised to select district level teams out of which division level and UT level teams would be scouted. These players would be admitted in these academies to make international and national players out of them.
Advisor Khan urged the School Education Department to explore for rolling out of a sports scholarship on the analogy of merit scholarships so that students having extraordinary talent in different sports arenas are encouraged and helped. He said that it would help in arresting the drop out rate besides making this talent pool not to go waste.
The Federation and the departments assured the Advisor that the necessary steps would be taken to identify and encourage the raw talent in the schools besides steps would be taken earnestly in establishing of these academies here in J&K.
