Bhadrak: Four years after an integrated sports complex (ISC) was proposed in Bhadrak town to give a fillip to sporting fraternity, the district administration’s perennial search for land continues.
With crumbling sports infrastructure and lack of practising ground, the sportsmen and women from the district struggle to go forward. Though some of them have fared well at national and international levels, it is solely owing to their personal efforts rather than administrative support.
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The state youth affairs and sports department had written a letter to Bhadrak district administration in October 2017 for identification of a land parcel for ISC under ‘Khelo India’ scheme.
According to the plan, the ISC was proposed to be constructed on 15 acres of government land at the district headquarters.
Back in 2017, the then district sports officer had issued an order to local tehsildar pertaining to land acquisition on behalf of Bhadrak collector. Later, owing to unavailability of 15 acres of land within five-kilometre radius of Bhadrak town, the district administration later decided to have two separate sports complexes by acquiring seven acres of land at two different places.
The land acquisition plan, either within the district headquarters or in its vicinity, is yet to translate to reality.
The proposed project included infrastructures such as synthetic athletic track, synthetic hockey court, football court, swimming pool, multipurpose indoor hall and several others which are essential for all district level sports competitions.
meanwhile, the Nehru Stadium which is located in this town is under the possession of Bhadrak Zilla School authorities. This has bottlenecked expenditure of government funds for the development of the existing stadium.
Slightest rain in the stadium area leaves it waterlogged, thereby restricting entry to sportspersons. The stadium remains inaccessible for nearly three to four months – especially during rainy season.
“Drainage construction work which is underway for over past five years next to the stadium has added to the woes of local sportspersons. Even district-level Independence Day celebrations are being carried out at Bhadrak College ground.
On being contacted, Bhadrak collector Gyana Ranjan Das said, “Restoration activities are being hindered as the Nehru stadium is under possession of Zilla School authorities. We are not able to spend state government funds there”.
“Administrative impasse and lack of empathetic attitude have resulted in unusual delay for building a stadium in Bhadrak. Given the already crumbling sports infrastructure in the district, the administration should be proactive,” athlete Bijaya Pani said.
PNN
