39 stadiums in 3 days: AAP ministers in Sangrur on inauguration spree as Punjab elections near

With the Assembly elections barely sixteen months away, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders appear to be on an overdrive to inaugurate sports stadiums and development projects across Sangrur district to woo voters in their respective constituencies.

In the past three days, the two Cabinet ministers have laid the foundation stones for 39 stadiums in their respective assembly constituencies.

The foundation stones for 29 new stadiums would be laid in the coming days in the Sunam constituency.

A day after Cabinet Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal laid the foundation stones for 15 stadiums costing Rs 5.70 crore and inaugurated several projects in the Lehra constituency on Tuesday, Cabinet Minister Aman Arora on Wednesday launched the construction of sports stadiums in 11 villages of the Sunam constituency.

These are to be built at a total cost of Rs 5.32 crore and are expected to be completed within three months. Arora said that under the “Har Pind Khed Maidan” (Sports Ground in Every Village) initiative launched by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Punjab Government is constructing sports stadiums in 3,100 villages across the state at an estimated cost of Rs 1,100 crore.

In the Sunam constituency alone, 29 villages will get new stadiums at a total cost of around Rs 11.5 crore. “These stadiums will offer young players a platform to hone their skills and bring laurels to Punjab,” Arora said.

In the first phase, construction work has begun in 11 villages — Killa Hakiman, Sheron, Shahpur Kalan, Jharo, Togawal, Dhaddrian, Sahoke, Takkipur, Mander Kalan, Lohakhera, and Pindi Amar Singh Wali.

The cost of each project ranges from Rs 23.94 lakh to Rs 117.16 lakh, depending on the size and facilities of the stadium. On the other hand, Goyal visited Sangrur again and laid the foundation stones in 13 more villages in the Lehra constituency, which he represents. He said that a total of 40 sports stadiums will be built in his constituency, out of which the foundation stones of 28 have already been laid. Box: 1.58 cr released for four villages in Dirba: Finance and Planning Minister Harpal Singh Cheema has announced that the next one-and-a-half years will be dedicated to the development and progress of the Dirba constituency.

He distributed development cheques worth Rs 1.58 crore to four villages in the area for infrastructure works. He said a cheque for Rs 67 lakh was given for Taranjikhera village, Rs 35 lakh for Sular, Rs 26 lakh for Gharat, and Rs 30 lakh for Dhandoli Khurd. These funds will be used to construct streets, drains, install CCTV cameras, streetlights, and community sheds, he said. All development projects will be completed within the stipulated time frame, he added.