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| Intl Cricket Stadium at Bajalta fails to see light of day, thanks to JKCA, Farooq Abdullah | | | Early Times Report
JAMMU, Nov 18: The state cricketers and a few JKCA office bearers wonder if the international cricket stadium at Bajalta here would ever see the light of day. No headway has so far been made on the project for which over 500 kanals of land at Bajalta was handed over to JKCA by the state government on lease in 2005. Courtesy: Scam-ridden JKCA and ex-chief minister Farooq Abdullah, who headed the Jammu Kashmir Cricket Association for over 35 years.
Farooq had come under severe criticism of the J&K cricketers after an alleged scam of Rs 60-70 cr was unearthed in JKCA, with almost everyone in the association holding him responsible for the JKCA's deteriorating condition. As the demand for his resignation grew, a high drama was witnessed on July 20 last when 44 of the 64 JKCA members voted against him and replaced him with J&K sports minister Imran Raza Ansari as new president of the association. Mehboob Iqbal was elected as chairman.
The move was termed as unlawful by the ousted president and his JKCA associates. After they moved a lower court, it stayed the eviction of Abdullah as JKCA president. A higher court later ordered status quo.
As JKCA's new chairman, Mehboob had visited Mumbai some time back to attend a BCCA meeting, according to JKCA sources.
Sources said the proposed international cricket stadium "may never come up at Bajalta as the land earmarked for it is low-lying and prone to floods as it adjoins the Tawi river bed".
"Tawi gets unexpectedly swelled almost every year during rainy days. Since the proposed stadium is in its close vicinity, the mighty flood waters can breach its boundary walls and gates, inundating it," the sources added.
While some work was done on the project and an architect was also hired by JKCA to prepare the site plan and evolve an anti-flood mechanism, it is nowhere in sight. The architect was paid a hefty sum, sources informed.
Apart from the architect, J&K flood control department was also consulted to devise the anti-flood mechanism, sources said, holding the multi-crore JKCA scam and Abdullah responsible for the "virtual abandoning" of the Jammu's dream project.
As JKCA president, Abdullah, known more making tongue-in-cheek, off-the-cuff remarks, had on June 28, 2011 inspected the Bajalta land and told media persons that "the work shall resume soon after the monsoons are over and the stadium will be ready in 18 months".
Over four years have passed since then, but the work is yet to be taken up.
Sources also held that the Bajalta land was not fit for the cricket stadium and the government should make some alternate arrangement as it was must for the safety of the ground, the allied infrastructure, the players and others.
The foundation stone for the dream project was to be laid on March 18, 2012 and JKCA had made all the requisite arrangements with regard to its ceremony, but due to the confusion and chaos in the association, the work failed to take off, giving rise to blame game.
"The otherwise defunct JKCA has to take some revolutionary steps for its revival and starting work on the cricket stadium," sources said. |
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