Itifaq Lone
The Jammu and Kashmir State Sports Council is all set to host the first ever international chess championship in which dozens of countries are participating.
The event is planned to take place at Indoor Bakshi stadium in September this year in which all south Asians countries are expected to participate.
However, the official sources said that lots of preparations are yet to be done ahead of the scheduled event to make it successful. They said the stadium needs to be renovated at par with the international standards since it suffered massive damage in the deluge of September 2014.
The walls of the stadium wore a deserted look. The chairs are damaged completely. The underground boxing ring, marshal art ring and the spaces for other indoor games were destroyed in the floods.
“How can one think of hosting such a big event here when the rain water pours into it from the top of the floor? Space and the chairs for audience are not renovated. Walls give the haunting look,” says one of the curators, wishing not to be named.
If in the stadium, there is anything renovated and decorated well that is the office of manager. The officials sitting in this cosy office chamber have not bothered to renovate this stadium o fast track basis as we are running short of time while they are mulling to organize an international event.
But the secretary JKSSC, Javid Shah who seems to have overlooked the ground realities is very hopeful of conducting the event successfully. “We are hopeful of hosting the international event and all the South Asian countries will participate in it in coming September,” says Shah.
As the event is an attempt to bring the Kashmir on international map for its talent in indoor games, official sources insisted that government should take more pains in building up infrastructural facilities at the stadium before the event starts in September.
“In case we fail to bring it at par with the international standards, the event will disrepute us all and brings shame to the government.”
The officials believe that it will be the first international event organized in the stadium ever since it was built.
“We have no records suggesting that any such event of international level was held here in past, so it will be the first of its kind,” said Shah.
Once known as the top indoor stadium of Asia for indoor games after being built in 1985, it was almost out of bound for common people from 1995 to 2000 after paramilitary forces occupied it for counter insurgency operations.
“The stadium was considered best stadium in Asia, and it was inaugurated with football match inside the stadium” says Zameer Ahmad Thakur, Joint Secretary Jammu and Kashmir State Sports Council.
“The stadium has capacity of over 10 thousand spectators, but more than half area is still under CRPF,” says Tulal Ahmad, Manager Indoor Stadium. “Stadium office and all the clubs are still occupied by the forces here”.
The sources within the department told The Legitimate that if the stadium is handed over to the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and central government, it will be well developed and maintained as per international standards. “I suggest this Stadium be handed over to central government; the state government and concerned department have ruined it,” suggests one of the care taker. “You can’t blame a single person here, because all are same and corrupt”.
He says it could be worth for playing international tournaments if handed over to SAI. “Presently it is not possible to organize event here. If in such conditions event at international level is held here it will be embarrassing for the government .And chances are that in future it will fail to convince countries to participate in similar events.”
Major Setbacks:
CRPF Occupation: From 1995 to 2000 the whole stadium was occupied by central reserved forces. During this time period indoor stadium was totally cut off from the State Sports council authority. No sports activities were conducted in the stadium. Neither the stadium caretakers were allowed to enter into the stadium for its maintenance. The stadium was used for interrogation, torture and detention purposes by CRPF.
“We used to visit here every single day but all the time we were not allowed by forces to take care of the stadium, so every time we used to sit outside,” revealed stadium care takers who discharge their professional duties since two decades. “The blood stains on floor and walls of stadium were until 2014, after the deluge washed out everything”.
The whole underground part of stadium which is supposed for Boxing, judo, Free style wrestling was used for detention and torture while its up ground, meant for sports like chess, badminton, karate, martial arts, table tennis, carom was used for residence purposes by the forces.
2014 Floods: Like every other part of Kashmir this stadium as well was destroyed by the floods. Sports infrastructure was badly hit and was not worth to use for sports activities. Sports activities and other care taking were stopped. “Flood water in the underground part of stadium is still not wiped out. The damaged parts of the stadium are still not repaired despite crores of rupees released by the government for its maintenance and renovation,” alleges sources.
Official Negligence:
On every stage of its renovation office bearers and other officials of the stadium have been neglecting it. Old and damaged infrastructure is being repaired but not replaced by new infrastructure. In fact corers of funds are being issued for the renovation and replacement of infrastructure of the stadium.
Sources say that whatever the officials claim to have spent over the renovation and maintenance purposes simply lies in papers as nothing such happens on ground due to rampant corruption practices in the department.
They claim that officials destroyed all the financial records during the floods of 2014 to evade any accountability. “The department has no previous records available now. Whatever they say thoroughly one has to believe that though no work took place”.

“It was all done in front of me. I felt pained when they destroyed the official records in flood waters to wash off their sins as massive embezzlement of funds occurred here,” an eye witness says.
The stadium has only 10 care takers which affect the maintenance work of the stadium.
“We are over loaded with the work at the times,” claims the care takers of the stadium.
According to sources the officials to release maximum funds mostly change its decisions on its renovation during work and after repairing some parts of the stadium.
“If some decision is taken today and work starts over it after the funds are released, subsequently the decision is modified to pave way for further release of funds which goes into the kitty of these officials
“Last year the roof was repaired by green tin and further again by the same old roof. The authorities are only fixing the old resources of the stadium instead of replacing with new ones.”
(itifaqlone@gmail.com.)
The story first appeared in the print edition of May 25, 2016.