Stone laid in 2021, no work done on indoor stadium in Palampur

Ravinder Sood

Palampur, December 26

The construction of a multi-storey indoor stadium sanctioned for Palampur by the previous government remains on paper. A token budget was released for the project but it failed to take off.

Former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur had laid the foundation stone of the project in February 2021, but no work had been undertaken since then. Official sources say during a visit to the town in 2020, the government had sanctioned an indoor stadium for Palampur to be set up on 10 kanals at Chimbalhar on the outskirts of the town.

Later in February 2021, the Chief Minister laid the foundation stone of the project. The cost of the project was estimated at Rs 10 crore. The local authorities had even transferred 10 kanals in the name of the Sports and Youth Welfare Department.

However, despite repeated requests, the government neither released additional funds nor granted administrative approval for the construction of the project. Local MLA Ashish Butail and the PWD division had written to the government several times, but no headway was made in the project. Later, the Sports and Youth Welfare Department withdrew the funds released for the project and diverted these to some other project.

Butail says the local authorities had completed all formalities and land was also transferred in the name of the Youth and Sports Department for the execution of the project. As there was no administrative approval for the project, its construction could not be taken up.

He says there are several such foundation stones of projects that the former Chief Minister had laid in Kangra district, but no construction work was started. He adds during the BJP regime, no officer was ready to implement the announcements made by the Chief Minister.

No administrative approval

• The cost of the project was estimated at Rs 10 crore but only Rs 30 lakh was released for the project
• Local authorities had even transferred 10 kanals in the name of the Sports and Youth Welfare Department
• Despite repeated requests, the government neither released additional funds nor granted administrative approval for its construction
• Local MLA Ashish Butail and the PWD division had written to the government several times, but no headway was made in the project
• Later, the Sports and Youth Welfare Department withdrew the funds released for the project and diverted these to some other project

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