5 years on, Indoor Sports Stadium Shopian awaits completion

NL Correspondent
Shopian, Dec 06 : Even after elapsing around five years, the indoor sports stadium at Arhama area of South Kashmir's Shopian is
awaiting completion due to which sports players feel dejected.
Players from different villages of the area said that they were very much hopeful that by enhancing the sports infrastructure in the
area, youth will get engaged in different sports activities and will remain away from drugs, however, after completion of around five
years, the project seems nowhere near completion. They said since the beginning, the construction work is going at snail's pace due
to which whole sports lovers besides players are discouraged.
The project was given a deadline of 2 years, however, five years have now passed but the project is yet to get completed, Rouf
Ahmad, a local resident said. He said that if the stadium is completed it will prove beneficial for budding talented players besides
helping in keeping youth away from drug addiction.
Asif Ahmad, a social activist of the area said that our valley is facing the nuisance of drug addiction which is due to lack of
recreational opportunities given to our youth and such projects are very important to keep them away from drugs. He said that indoor
sports lovers are facing problems as authorities have failed to complete the stadium in the area.
In winters, such an infrastructure can prove very beneficial for the youth of Shopian where addiction rate is high, he said Sports players
along with sports lovers said that they have brought this issue to the notice of concerned authorities hundreds of times but so far nothing has
changed on ground. They once again requested authorities to complete this project at an earliest so that youth can get involved in sports
activities and won't fall prey to drugs. Pertinently the project is being executed by JKPCC with an estimated cost of Rs 4 crore.
Meanwhile, officials said that 90 percent of the work has been already completed and due to paucity of work has been put on
halt. They said once funds will be made available, work will restart and project will be completed—(KNO)