Five months on, work yet to begin on Pathankot stadium

Ravi Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Pathankot, March 29

Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal had promised a stadium and a government college for Pathankot five months ago, but it is yet to take shape.

On November 8, 2014, at a public function in the city, Sukhbir in the presence of Pathankot MLA Ashwani Sharma had laid down the foundation stone of both the government college and stadium. During their speeches at that time, both Deputy Chief Minister and the MLA had assured the residents that both these entities would be completed within six months.

The MLA has for a while been claiming that it was due to his efforts that the government college and the stadium have been sanctioned. He also claims that he was instrumental in getting Pathankot the status of a district.

The city may have been conferred with the status of a district, yet officials claim it was a ‘lame district’ because it still shared many departments with the neighbouring Gurdaspur district from which it was carved out in 2012 ahead of the Assembly elections. “The political exigencies of the government of the day in Chandigarh ensured that the city was given the status of a separate district. At that time the MLA claimed it was a moral victory for his party, the BJP. However, not much has changed. The stadium and college, both promised with much fanfare, were yet to see the light of the day,” claimed Kartik Wadhera, a resident.

The Deputy CM had even claimed that the admissions to the college would commence in 2015, but the construction work on the college has suddenly come to a standstill. Many claim that the authorities concerned are struggling to pay the contractor his outstanding dues following which the work has been stopped.

“An initial amount of Rs 2.50 crore, out of the total Rs 8.50 crore, has been released for the stadium and tenders will be floated soon. As far as the college is concerned, there were some technical problems, which will be sorted out soon. By the year-end, both the structures will be dedicated to the people of Pathankot,” the MLA said.