Srinagar: The centuries-old Bakshi Stadium in Srinagar will soon see a facelift and is expected to host national and international football events. It is being built on the norms of FIFA with the facility of night play too.
Kashmir is known for its football craze and this game has always been a favorite sport of the Kashmiri people for ages. Now, this world-class one of the best football stadiums in the country will undoubtedly promote football in Kashmir and the talent of Kashmir will get an international platform.
The National Projects Construction Corporation (NPCC) is building this stadium at Bakshi Stadium in Srinagar. This project is worth around 44 crores. Funding for this project is being provided by the Ministry of Youth Services and Sport, Government of India.
The stadium is being constructed according to the norms of FIFA. It has six blocks which will have food courts and toilets. The new pavilion will increase the space. This will include a commentary box, VVIP box, and dressing hall. The stadium will get natural grass turf and will have four floodlights. The stadium will have a capacity of over 18,000 people at a time.
Farooq Ahmed (Engineer JK Sports Council) “The capacity of the ground is 18 thousand which is not in any stadium in the whole of India and it is approved with natural grass turf. I used to come as a spectator to this stadium in my childhood, there were no facilities at that time, we used to come to see football, if this facility is available now Inshallah, in a couple of months we will inaugurate it as pace of work is fast now. It will help youth here they will get a boost so that we can also compete at the international level, if we see that we have some footballers at this time, they played on local grounds and went to the national level that means we have talent here. But we did not have facilities here, Now the Government of India is doing it very keenly, and are involving the youth here in sports so that the talent here also improves and facilities are also available.
The government of India is making all efforts to promote sports in Jammu and Kashmir for the last two years and not only football but many sports are being started in Kashmir and for this infrastructure is provided to youth. Schemes like Pradhan Mantri Vikas Pariyojana, Khelo India, J&K Infrastructure Development Project, and J&K Sports Council also have a capex budget which has been created a separate department to promote sports activities in Kashmir. The main objective is to involve the youth of Jammu and Kashmir in sports so that they can be kept away from bad habits.
Nuzahat Gul Secretary Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council said, “it is an effort of the Government of India and the local government to involve more and more youths in sports. One is a sportsperson his attitude towards life is different. They stay fit, stays away from the social evils.
The youth have appreciated the steps taken by the government. They believe that the game of football will get a boost and the move will give a lot of exposure to the youth of Kashmir.
Young footballer Zaid Mehraj says, “It will be of great benefit to me to others
It is beneficial for us that the stadium is being built here. There is a lot of talent in Kashmir, now this stadium is being built, it is very good for youth that our talent will come out polished.
Another young Mohsin Zargar says, “It is a great feeling that when we play on this ground, the talent of Kashmir can grow.”
The construction of the stadium will be helpful for hosting tournaments of the national-international football Premier League and will be completed and inaugurated in the next few months.
