Calls for comprehensive assessment & mapping of, gaps to accelerate sports infra & sporting culture in Srinagar
Srinagar : Deputy Commissioner (DC) Srinagar, AkshayLabroo on Saturday chaired a comprehensive meeting at the Meeting Hall of the DC Office Complex, Srinagar to discuss and formulate the Action Plan for 2026-31 under the Khelo India Movement for District Srinagar.
The meeting was convened to deliberate on a comprehensive and structured roadmap aimed at strengthening sports infrastructure, promoting greater participation in sports and creating sustainable opportunities for young and aspiring athletes across the District. Detailed discussions were held on measures to improve existing sports facilities, identify infrastructure gaps, create and upgrade facilities for priority sports, organise sports competitions, identify sporting talent and provide avenues for its systematic development.
On the occasion, the DC stressed the need for a coordinated and result-oriented approach involving all concerned Departments and stakeholders to ensure effective formulation and implementation of the Action Plan. He emphasised that the plan should focus on expanding access to sports facilities at the grassroots level, particularly in rural and underserved areas, while providing young people with adequate opportunities to participate in various sporting disciplines.
The DC also emphasised the need for strengthening and developing sports infrastructure in the Downtown/Shahr-e-Khaas areas of Srinagar District, with a view to providing accessible sporting facilities to youth in these densely populated areas.
He directed the concerned Officers to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the existing sports infrastructure and identify locations requiring new facilities, upgradation or renovation. He also called for proper mapping of sports facilities and sporting disciplines being practised across the District so that interventions under the Khelo India framework are planned in a systematic, need-based manner and unnecessary duplication of facilities is avoided.
The DC underlined the importance of encouraging youth participation in sports as a means of promoting physical fitness, discipline, teamwork and overall personality development. He said that strengthening the sporting ecosystem at the grassroots level would help identify and nurture sporting talent while providing promising athletes with better opportunities to excel at the district, national and international levels.
The DC stressed that all interventions under the five-year plan should be aligned with the objectives of the Khelo India initiative and should deliver tangible and sustainable benefits to the sporting community. He also called for regular monitoring and coordinated efforts to ensure that the planned interventions translate into improved sporting opportunities and facilities for youth across the district.
The meeting was attended by Chief Planning Officer, Fayaz Ahmad Dar, Assistant Commissioner Development, Tariq Ahmad, Chief Education Officer, Ghulam Mohi-Ud Din, District Youth Services & Sports Officer, Ghulam Hassan, Executive Engineer JK Sports Council, Kashmir, representatives of Kashmir University, SKUAST-K and other Officers.
