Over 570 sports infrastructure projects underway across J-K

Jammu, Jul 14 (PTI) More than 570 sports and youth infrastructure projects with an estimated investment of over Rs 650 crore are at various stages of planning and execution across Jammu and Kashmir during the current financial year, a senior government official said on Tuesday. Commissioner Secretary, Youth Services and Sports, Shahid Iqbal Choudhary said the initiative represents one of the largest and most comprehensive infrastructure development programmes undertaken by the department in recent years, aimed at significantly strengthening the region's sports and youth development ecosystem. Chairing the first quarterly review of the implementation roadmap initiated earlier this year, he said the department’s infrastructure strategy is fully aligned with the vision of the 'Khelo Bharat Niti', with emphasis on creating an equitable, accessible and future-ready sports ecosystem capable of serving every region and every section of society. Choudhary said while significant investments have already transformed sports infrastructure over the past few years, the current phase represents a strategic shift from isolated project execution to a planned, data-driven expansion of sports infrastructure across urban centres, rural areas, border districts, tribal habitations, remote mountainous regions and other underserved locations. He said the objective is to ensure that every young person in Jammu and Kashmir has access to quality sports facilities within reasonable proximity, while simultaneously creating centres of excellence capable of nurturing national and international sporting talent. The meeting reviewed the progress of 315 Capex projects being implemented by the Directorate of Youth Services & Sports during 2026-27, including 167 ongoing works, 140 new projects and eight non-construction initiatives, in addition to projects under the Centre's Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) scheme, budget announcements and other flagship programmes. The J&K Sports Council is simultaneously implementing 263 infrastructure projects, comprising 195 ongoing works, 57 new works and 11 SASCI Disaster Component projects, reflecting an unprecedented scale of coordinated infrastructure development across the Union Territory, an official spokesman said. In a significant policy direction, Choudhary reviewed the creation of the Department’s first comprehensive geo-spatial inventory of sports infrastructure by geo-tagging every stadium, playfield, indoor hall, youth hostel, academy, sports complex and allied asset under both the Directorate and the J&K Sports Council. The integrated GIS-based platform will support scientific infrastructure planning, lifecycle maintenance, utilisation assessment, convergence with other development programmes and identification of infrastructure-deficit areas requiring future investment, the spokesman said. The commissioner secretary also directed preparation of district-wise infrastructure gap analyses based on population, accessibility, sporting potential and regional requirements so that future investments are guided by objective assessment rather than incremental expansion. Particular emphasis, he said, should be placed on border areas, tribal regions, remote habitations, hilly districts and emerging urban settlements, ensuring balanced regional development and equitable access to sports infrastructure. Calling for strict adherence to timelines, Choudhary instructed all executing agencies to expedite DPR preparation, statutory approvals, tendering and execution while maintaining the highest standards of engineering quality, transparency and financial discipline. He also directed periodic field inspections and outcome-based review mechanisms to ensure timely completion of every sanctioned project. PTI TAS TAS KVK KVK