Bandipora: Illegal mining has wreaked havoc in Bandipora, destroying two major sports stadiums—Baba Kareeme Sports Stadium and Adnan Sports Stadium, according to Jammu and Kashmir Students Association National Convenor, Nasir Khuehami.
Located near Polytechnic College, these grounds once served as vital spaces for aspiring athletes, but unchecked sand and soil extraction has left them in ruins.
What were once thriving centers or cricket and football are now excavation sites riddled with deep pits. Goalposts have been shattered, cricket pitches worth lakhs destroyed, and the stadiums’ boundaries erased, Nasir claimed.
He said the administration’s failure to act has deprived thousands of young players of their only space to train and compete.
Illegal sand extraction using JCB machines and tractors has been rampant for the past five years, systematically dismantling these grounds.
Despite repeated complaints, the District Administration of Bandipora, J&K Sports Council, and local representatives have remained silent spectators, Nasir said.
Those who resisted the loot faced threats, while officials turned a blind eye to the destruction unfolding before them.
This devastation extends beyond sports infrastructure—it’s an attack on the aspirations of young players and the region’s natural ecosystem. The unchecked excavation has disrupted local water bodies, altered the landscape, and depleted resources. The Fisheries, Geology, and Mining Departments have been accused of enabling this reckless mining, which has damaged not just the stadiums but also properties of the Forest Department, Agriculture Department, Polytechnic College, and Wular embankments.
Despite CCTV footage exposing this brazen loot, officials remain unmoved, raising questions about whether they are complicit or simply indifferent.
“A well-organised nexus of officials, politicians, and mining mafias appears to be operating with impunity. The administration must dismantle this network, arrest those responsible, and restore the stadiums to their original state to ensure young athletes can train and compete again,” Nasir claimed.
He expressed deep anguish over the destruction, urging Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to intervene.
He stressed that if immediate action is not taken, the future of sports in Bandipora and Kashmir will suffer irreversible damage.
The government, which claims to promote sports and initiatives like Nasha Mukt Bharat, cannot allow its own stadiums to be plundered.
The silence of officials is a betrayal of the people, and those behind this illegal mafia must be held accountable, Nasir added.
