Once a sporting hub, indoor stadium lies in disrepair

Ludhiana: Grewal Sports Indoor Stadium at Kila Raipur, once a key venue for indoor sporting activities, is currently battling severe infrastructure deterioration and neglect. The stadium, inaugurated on Feb 6, 2000, at a cost of Rs 25 lakh by former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and former cabinet minister Adesh Partap Singh Kairon, in association with the Grewal Sports Association, was originally intended to promote sports and provide facilities such as badminton and air pistol shooting.
Over the years, however, the indoor stadium has slipped into disrepair. Local residents and sports enthusiasts from Kila Raipur have expressed concern over its present state, pointing out that the facility — once vibrant with sporting activity —now suffers from serious structural damage and long-standing maintenance issues. The venue is no longer functional for sports and has instead turned into a storage space.The main entrance is locked, as the interior has been filled with items meant for local-level events rather than sports equipment. Seats for visitors are broken and coated with dust, and the badminton net is unusable. The stadium floor is covered with mats, a large water tanker and various other stored materials, leaving little to no room for sporting activities. Residents say the change in use reflects a complete departure from the stadium's original purpose of promoting physical fitness and healthy recreational activities.Several residents attributed the decline to absence of grants and prolonged neglect by govt authorities. A local resident said the stadium engaged many people in sports when it was inaugurated in 2000, but now feels more like a storage room than an indoor sports facility. Another resident and sports enthusiast said without proper financial support and govt grants, maintaining or upgrading the stadium was impossible. He added that locals hoped the govt would announce renovation support during the upcoming Kila Raipur games .Col Surinder Singh Grewal, president, Kila Raipur Sports Society (Patti Sohavia), said the indoor stadium had been receiving grants until 2015 — Rs 3 lakh from the state government and Rs 3 lakh from the central government. However, he said the grants stopped when the Kila Raipur games were not held for a long period. Grewal added that the society planned to raise the issue before the chief minister through a demand letter during the upcoming games. He said that with adequate financial support, sports activities could be resumed in the indoor stadium with improved facilities and upgraded infrastructure.As the stadium stands today, its deteriorated condition has become a matter of concern for the community, which hopes that the long-neglected facility will soon be revived and restored to its intended sporting purpose.