After Selja’s election, Dalbir Stadium spruced up; Bhagat Singh arena lies in utter neglect

Anil Kakkar

Sirsa, June 12

Local authorities in Sirsa have started taking care of Chaudhary Dalbir Singh Indoor Stadium, one of the two main stadiums in the city. However, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Stadium, located in front of the DC’s residence, is yet to receive any attention.

After Kumari Selja was elected to Parliament, conditions at the stadium — named after her father, Chaudhary Dalbir Singh — improved, when she took note of its dilapidated state. In the case of the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Stadium, the main stadium of the city, officials have been sending reminders to the headquarters for the past one year to improve its condition and to provide athletes with all basic facilities — but to no avail.

Shaheed Bhagat Singh Stadium is just 500 metres away from the residences of former Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala, current Haryana Power Minister Ranjeet Singh Chautala and DC RK Singh. Every day, 3,000 to 4,000 people come here to exercise, walk and practise. Yet, the stadium remains in a poor state.

Former MP Sunita Duggal was unable to initiate development work at the stadium and MLA Gopal Kanda never visited it to inspect the infrastructure there.

Although the stadium has been used extensively for political events and rallies, it lacks basic facilities,

with poor grounds and broken main entrance glass.

Dilbag Singh, who regularly walks in the park, says that Shaheed Bhagat Singh Stadium is frequented by common people as well as officials from the Mini-Secretariat and their families in the mornings and evenings. The poor condition of the stadium is no secret to them, yet no step has been taken to improve it. The closed gates and broken glass reveal the reality of its condition.

In contrast, the Chaudhary Dalbir Singh Indoor Stadium, located in the grain market, has seen an improvement since Kumari Selja became an MP. Until a month ago, the stadium was in a bad shape, but now children are seen playing there. There is a marked improvement in cleanliness and greenery in the park.

Shaheed Bhagat Singh Sports Stadium houses an astroturf hockey field constructed at a cost of around Rs 7 crore. However, the condition of the artificial grass has deteriorated due to lack of maintenance and the field is drying out due to lack of water. Weeds and grass have grown around the field where athletes practise running, and the shot-put area is also damaged. Additionally, the sheds on the grounds are broken, and there is no seating arrangements for visitors.

Surendra Singh, the acting District Sports Officer of Sirsa, said that he held the executive charge and had sent reminders for all previously submitted estimates to the headquarters. He hoped that funds for all projects would arrive soon and work in the stadium would start.

Building in poor condition

• The main building’s glass is broken.
• No synthetic track has been built in the main stadium yet.
• Stray animals often roam around.
• Broken walls in several places allow anti-social elements to enter.

Reminders unheard at headquarters

After Kumari Selja was elected MP, conditions at the stadium — named after her father, Chaudhary Dalbir Singh — improved, when she took note of its dilapidated state. In the case of the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Stadium, the main stadium of the city, officials have been sending reminders to the headquarters for the past one year to improve its condition and to provide athletes with all basic facilities — but to no avail.