SRINAGAR: Three and a half years after Sher-e-Kashmir indoor stadium here suffered severe damage due floods in 2014, the Jammu and Kashmir State Sports Council is finally ready with a detailed project report for its renovation and upgradation. Estimated cost: Rs 170 million.
The massive sports complex, which was one of the best in India when it was thrown open to the public in the late 1980s, had provisions for conducting activities in various disciplines like badminton, basketball, boxing, table tennis, boxing, weightlifting, powerlifting, fencing and martial arts.
The stadium was closed to the public for many years following the eruption of militancy in 1990. It was occupied by CRPF and converted into a security camp. Although the CRPF vacated it more than a decade ago, the Sports Council did not do much to restore the stadium.
Badminton, basketball, fencing and martial arts are the only sports that are being played in the stadium these days, according to local media reports.
Secretary of the State Sports Council Waheed Parra, who is also youth president of ruling PDP, stated: “While the stadium is functional, the council has submitted to the state government a comprehensive proposal of Rs 17 crore (Rs 170 million) for its complete renovation and restoration.”
Para said for maintenance of the complex, tendering process is at its final stage under annual maintenance contract (AMC).
