Harnambal Sports Field Has Turned Into A Cesspool: Locals

SRINAGAR: The only sports field for thousands of sports lovers has turned into a cesspool, the locals alleged on Tuesday, laying blame on the negligence of JK Sports Council and Urban Environmental Engineering Department (UEED).

Thousands of sports lovers who used to play and practice football and cricket at Harnambal ground of Natipora Srinagar have been expressing resentment towards the JKSC for not developing the said sports field on modern lines.

Sports lovers told news agency KNT that despite investing over Rs 2 crore, JKSC failed to make UEED accountable. They alleged that the UEED department has miserably failed to shift a main drain along the Sports stadium in the area.

“The Harnambal Sports Field has turned into a cesspool. Sports lovers from Natipora, Rambagh, Mehjoor Nagar, Padshahi Bagh, Budshah Nagar, Chanapora used to play in this ground but due to negligence of UEED and Sports Council, it has taken the shape of a pond where you can even oar a boat,” sports lovers told the agency.

“From past over a decade, this play field was not developed as was aspired and demanded by the locals,” they said. They added that the defunct drainage system is the main source of nuisance.

“The work on the new drainage system is going at snail’s pace. Lack of accountability is spoiling everything.”

The sports lovers sought the intervention of the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha in redressing the issue at the earliest.