'Sports infrastructure expanded in Srigufwara- Bijbehara'

Srinagar, Mar 16: The Jammu and Kashmir government on Saturday stated that significant progress has been made in the development of sports infrastructure in the Srigufwara-Bijbehara constituency, including in its rural areas.

The sports minister, Satish Sharma, informed the J&K Legislative Assembly that 18 playfields have been constructed so far, with further development subject to fund availability and coordination with the Rural Development Department and district administration.

“Further efforts are being made to develop facilities, as per availability of funds, and in convergence mode with the Rural Development and District Administration,” the government said in its reply.

This was revealed in response to a question by MLA Dr. S. Bashir Ahmad Veeri during the ongoing budget session, where he sought details on the status of sports infrastructure in the constituency.

According to the government’s response, major investments were stated to have been made in the constituency, including Rs 671.27 lakh for the Nilandrasoo Sports Complex and Rs 400 lakh for an indoor sports hall.

Several other playfields have been developed across locations like Nowshera, Sirhama, Panard, Ashidar, Panchpora, Tarbal, Chenigund Kanelwan, Marhama, Jablipora, and Gujjar Basti, with expenditures ranging from Rs 2.98 lakh to Rs 20 lakh per facility.

The sports minister also noted that a Khelo India Centre was fully functional in the area, providing training to 100 young players. He assured that efforts are being made to expand sports facilities to accommodate the growing interest of local youth in sports.