Jalandhar: After 17 years, the foundation stone of the sports hub will be laid on June 11

Punjab: With the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) attempting to restart the work of the sports hub on the 60-acre site at Burlton Park, the question everyone is asking is whether this government will be able to complete the project envisioned 17 years ago. The project, which was initiated by the Akali-BJP government in September 2008 and was revived during the tenure of the previous Congress government, will now be relaunched by AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on June 11. Giving details about the project, Jalandhar Mayor Vineet Dhir said, “It is a Rs 77.7 crore project in which we will improve the existing facilities for hockey. We will create facilities for playing domestic cricket. Two astroturfs for hockey and a seven-side natural grass football ground will also be prepared. Apart from this, a shed for yoga practice will also be built.” Skating rink, tennis, volleyball and basketball courts, judo rink, open gym, synthetic athletics track, cycling track and jogging track are also in the pipeline.

As per the first plan announced by former local bodies minister Manoranjan Kalia and former mayor Rakesh Rathore in September 2008, it was a Rs 130 crore project. It was decided that a world-class cricket stadium would be constructed in its 26-acre area and a hockey stadium in nine acres. The rest of the space was to be used for developing other sports facilities including football, all-weather swimming pool, badminton, basketball, volleyball, squash, handball, netball, shooting range, skating rink, jogging and cycling track, billiards, snooker, judo, gymnasium besides a five-star hotel, spa, health club, restaurants, bars, lounges, meeting halls, 70 shops and commercial centres. When the project was about to start, a group of locals filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, as several trees were to be cut down under the project. The PIL was dismissed in 2013, but by then Kalia and Rathore’s tenure had ended. In 2016, the Centre announced that the sports hub would be built under the Smart City Mission.

Several proposals were made, but no work started on the ground. Again on January 6, 2022, the Jalandhar MC awarded a tender to a Chandigarh-based company with a 12-month deadline, but no progress could be made. Commenting on the planned restart of the project, BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia said, “When we planned the project 17 years ago, Burlton Park was a good location, but not anymore, especially from the point of view of traffic congestion around the area. If the AAP government wants to invest in developing a sports hub, it should be on the outskirts of the city.” Former sports minister and Congress MLA Pargat Singh said, “All plans should be made carefully. If no provision is being made for international cricket, it should be developed as a training ground. Two pitches with a seating capacity of 200-500 people can be made. Adequate parking arrangements should be planned. Public money should be spent very carefully.”