Rs 25 crore spent in 18 years, Shimla stadium project hits dead end

In 2007, the then Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh had laid the foundation stone of a multipurpose stadium at Katasani village near Shimla. However, 18 years later, the ambitious project is still incomplete even after an expenditure of around Rs 25 crore. An incomplete eight-storey building and a flattened hillock at the site are telltale signs of bad planning, mismanagement and neglect.

Initially, the plan was to construct an athletics track and an indoor stadium at the site. The plan to build an athletics track was shelved after the authorities concerned realised that the land was not adequate for the construction of a proper track. “The land was not adequate because the indoor stadium building was constructed in the middle of the proposed track,” says a source. He adds, “Also, a dome was proposed on the top of the building to let skylight enter. This would have hidden half of the track from one side.”

Once the plan to build an athletics track fell flat, a proposal to build an international shooting range at the site was mooted. This proposal, too, didn’t see the light of the day. Besides, the contractor stopped work on the indoor stadium as well. “The building is getting damaged as water and cattle enter it through various openings. Recently, a big retaining wall had collapsed,” says a chowkidar deputed at the site. At present, the building has several dormitories for sportspersons, but no one has a clue about why and for what sportspersons will come here and use these dormitories.

At present, the Sports Department is also racking its brains to salvage something out of the project. “We are thoroughly studying the project to see how we can create something for public use,” says Hitesh Azad, Additional Director, Sports Department.

Meanwhile, the people of the area are disappointed that successive governments had ignored the project. “We have been using this land as grassland for our cattle since long. We had agreed to give up our right on the land after the then Chief Minister promised us that local residents would get employment at the stadium once it was ready. Today, we feel cheated,” says a local villager.

An elderly woman says that they thought the stadium would lead to development in the area. “Though a lot of time and effort have been wasted, we want the government to keep its promise and build a stadium here without further delay,” she adds.

Himachal Tribune