Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha today reviewed the functioning of J&K Sports Council & Youth Services & Sports Department in a meeting at civil secretariat here today.At the outset, Commissioner/Secretary, Youth Services & Sports Department, Sh Sarmad Hafeez briefed the Lt Governor regarding the overall sports scenario in the J&K and the achievements of the JK Sports Council and Youth Services & Sports Department in conducting the Sports activities, building sports infrastructure, and promoting sports culture in the J&K through a PowerPoint presentation. He also apprised the Lt Governor about the to-date progress of the renovation/up-gradation works at M.A Stadium & Bakshi Stadium.
Taking note of the inordinate delays in completion of ongoing projects, especially the Bakshi Stadium, the Lt Governor passed explicit directions to the officers for completing all pending projects within stipulated timelines and called for making concerted efforts to involve more and more youth in sports to channelize their energies.
The meeting was informed about the status of upcoming sports infrastructure, which include 31 projects under PMDP, including 22 multipurpose indoor halls, out of 22 Indoor Halls, 8 Indoor Halls have been completed while 5 Indoor Halls are nearing completion during Oct 2020.It was remarked that sports council was formed with the aim to promote, develop and encourage competitive sports, athletics and cultural activities in a professional manner in the UT with a reoriented approach vis-à-vis sports so that local talent in different sports is harnessed and encouraged to participate successfully in their area of sports at National as well as International level.Later, the Lt Governor also released Coffee Table Book of J&K Sports Council showcasing its efforts in promotion of sports in the Union Territory through sustained augmentation of sports infrastructure and handholding of local talent.The meeting was attended by the Advisors to Lt Governor, Sh Farooq Khan and Sh K.K Sharma; Chief Secretary, Sh BVR Subramanyam; Principal Secretary to Lt Governor, Nitishwar Kumar; Secretary, Youth Services & Sports, Sh Sarmad Hafeez; Secretary J&K Sports Council, Dr. Naseem Javaid Chowdhary; Director General Youth Services & Sports, Dr. Saleem ur Rehman, and other officers.