Umar Mukhtar
After years of lobbying and going after officials, sports lovers in the saffron town of Pampore finally managed to get Kadalbal stadium restored in 2017. But the happiness seems short-lived as some households, located in Mir Mohallah, are pumping their sewage-waste directly into the stadium.
It has once again turned the stadium into a sewage-dump, with foul-smell and water-logging making any sports activity impossible. “We were happy to see youngsters get engaged in sports activities, but some selfish people have ruined it all,” blames Manzoor, a local sportsperson.
The stadium, which is located on the Srinagar-Jammu highway, was buried under sewage water for decades leaving sports lovers in pain.
Then in late 2016, when the Sports Council finally started de-watering and filling the playground to make it worth playing, entire town heaved a sigh of relief.
Within no time, the once sewage-dump, which used to put off visitors and travellers with its foul stench, was buzzing with sports activities. “But our dream of restoring this stadium to its original glory seems under threat from these residents,” said Manzoor.
Shrunken to just 45 kanals from its original 75 kanals, the stadium at Kadalbal, Pampore, has always remained an emotional issue for locals. “If authorities don’t act fast, this stadium will once again become a big dirty drain,” said Manzoor.
The boundary around the stadium, which was constructed in the early 1980s, now stands damaged.
Ironically, locals allege, ‘even the local municipality uses this stadium as dumping site to dispose-off waste generated in the town’. “This stadium is located near the local municipality office, so it becomes easy for them to dump waste here,” alleges Manzoor.
