Baramulla set for major upgrade in sports infrastructure

Baramulla, Feb 5: Baramulla is set to witness a significant expansion of sports infrastructure, with the government announcing upgrades to cricket, football, and hockey facilities in response to a query raised by MLA Javed Hassan Beig in the Legislative Assembly on Thursday.

While unveiling the road map, the government announced a major upgrade for the Bipin Rawat cricket stadium, besides new facilities for football and hockey.

The government informed that the Bipin Rawat stadium will be upgraded by installing high mast floodlights, enabling it to organise day and night matches. The stadium has already gone through transformative infrastructure upgrades, which include state-of-the-art seating facilities, indoor stadium with badminton facilities, an all-weather net-practice pitch, a pavilion, and a change room with gender-based washroom facilities.

While for the newly constructed football stadium at Azad Gunj Baramulla, a detailed project report (DPR) worth Rs 170.64 lakhs has been prepared to upgrade its infrastructure, including developing proper seating arrangements, a pavilion and changing rooms with gender-based washrooms, along with CCTV surveillance to ensure safety and better management.

The government informed that the project is expected to be taken up in the upcoming budget and will be a major step in the development of football infrastructure in the Baramulla town.

Besides cricket and football, Baramulla will be getting a modern hockey turf, a long-standing demand of the hockey lovers of Baramulla district, as the district has been a pioneer in producing some of the top-class hockey players who have proved their mettle at the national level.

The DPR for the modern hockey turf has been prepared at a cost of Rs 11.23 crore, which includes floodlighting facilities. In this connection, several potential sites, including Kanispora, Jahama and Janbazpora, had been identified by the district administration.

“However, the final project awaits transfer of land to the sports department,” informed the government in assembly.

Another measure announcement for the sports lovers of Baramulla has been in the form of a new proposal for the upgrade of the playfield at Frasthar Khawjabagh.

Earlier, plans for developing a football ground at Ushkara Baramulla and later at Ushkara Rangwar had to be dropped due to land feasibility issues and objections from the state power development corporation.

However, on the directions of the MLA Baramulla, Javed Hassan Beig, a fresh proposal worth Rs 100 lakh has now been framed for the Frasthar and is set to be included in the 2026-27 apex budget.