3 die-hard cricket buffs play ball, carve out ground from hillside

Three die-hard cricket enthusiasts have accomplished what the past four state governments failed to do — construct a stadium in Shimla. The trio has carved out a cricket ground from a hillside on the outskirts of Shimla in the Padechi gram panchayat, around 15 km from the city.

Several governments and departments, on the other hand, have made a mess of the proposed multipurpose stadium in Katasani village near Shimla. The foundation stone for the project was laid by late Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh in 2007. Eighteen years later, a haphazardly flattened hillock and an eight-storeyed incomplete and crumbling building stand at the site as a stark evidence of poor planning and even worse execution. Along with precious time, around Rs 25 crore has apparently gone down the drain on this project.

In sharp contrast, the three friends — Veenu Diwan, Ajay Thakur and Abhay Thakur — have constructed a functional cricket ground in just four years. The trio thought of constructing a cricket ground in 2021, bought the land on a steep hillside, and constructed a huge ground measuring 120x90 metre in the middle of nowhere.

“A lot of effort went into carving out the ground from the steep slope. It involved extensive cutting on the hill side, and massive infilling on the valley side to get a level surface for the ground,” said Veenu.

The lack of a cricket ground inspired these three cricket lovers to build one on their own. “There’s no cricket ground in Shimla which could be accessed by cricket lovers. The existing grounds are either under the control of the Army, the police or some big schools. So, we decided to build this stadium,” said Veenu. The trio plans to start a residential cricket academy for the budding cricketing talent of the region at the stadium. “We will shortly start building a hostel at the site,” said Veenu.

As for the Katasani stadium, the Sports Department is trying to salvage something out of the bungled-up project but the situation on the ground is deteriorating. “The project is a tale of wasted land, money and other resources. The building is in ruins, wild grass is growing inside it. The locals are scared of going anywhere close to the building,” said Jagdish Kumar, pradhan, gram panchayat, Baicheri.

Incidentally, the Katasani project isn’t the only sports project that’s caught up in the political and bureaucratic muddle. The plan to convert the iconic Shimla Ice Skating Rink into an all-weather facility is moving at a sluggish pace. Incidentally, in an initiative similar to the one taken by the three youths, residents of Cheog village, about 40 km from Shimla, constructed a natural ice skating rink within 15 days last year. Perhaps, government departments can take a cue from these praiseworthy efforts!