In Himachal, it’s BJP vs BJP over building indoor stadium in Mandi as party leader takes on MLA Anil Sharma

MANDI: The political wrangling in the Himachal Pradesh BJP over the proposed indoor stadium in Mandi has escalated, with BJP leader Praveen Kumar Sharma levelling serious accusations against own party MLA Anil Sharma.

Praveen, who previously ran as an independent candidate from Mandi Assembly constituency, accused the MLA of deliberately misleading the public regarding the construction of the indoor stadium at Paddal.

He claimed that due to the MLA’s lack of cooperation, incompetence and biased approach, Mandi district has not only missed out on the sports centre proposed under the Khelo India initiative but is also being misled about the lapsing of funds due to the non-construction of the stadium.

According to Praveen, no funds had been allocated for the construction of the stadium under Khelo India, thus rendering the claims by the MLA of lapsing of funds “baseless”. He argued that these alleged falsehoods are a desperate attempt by the MLA to cover up his own failures.

Praveen further alleged that Anil Sharma’s uncooperative stance has undermined the efforts of former Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur, who worked tirelessly for four years to elevate Mandi to the national sports stage.

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He contended that due to Anil Sharma’s actions, the proposed Khelo India project in Jola (Ratti Pul), which was to be developed on 116 bighas of land at a cost of over Rs 100 crore, has been abandoned.

If the MLA had not objected to the project, the construction would have already begun on a comprehensive sports centre that would include an eight-lane synthetic track, football and hockey fields, basketball and volleyball courts, wrestling and judo facilities, a science hall and an Olympic-sized swimming pool.

This centre, strategically located in a semi-high-altitude region, was expected to create 230 direct jobs, including 30 coaching positions, and hundreds of indirect employment opportunities. It would have also provided local children with access to national-level coaching and significantly boosted the local economy.

Praveen explained that the central government’s Khelo India initiative aimed to establish a sports centre in every state, requiring a minimum of 91 bighas of land. The Sports Authority of India (SAI) was to provide Rs 65 crore for the construction.

In 2018, the then Regional Director of SAI, Lalita Sharma, discussed the matter with then Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, who instructed the district administration to secure the land promptly. Despite numerous efforts, land could not be acquired until social worker Harish Sharma intervened, securing 116 bighas of forest department land in Jola (Ratti) for the project.

To expedite the project, the district administration released Ra 5 lakh to the Public Works Department (PWD) in Mandi for the preparation of the Forest Rights Act (FRA) compliance and the project’s design. After two years of continuous efforts, most of the forest department’s objections were resolved, and the project was forwarded to the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests.

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When Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur approved the site, Jai Ram Thakur publicly announced the proposed ‘Sports Centre’ under Khelo India during an October 2021 gathering. However, Praveen alleged that Anil Sharma was trying to sideline these efforts to deny credit to the former Chief Minister or social worker Harish Chandra Sharma.

This, he claims, is why the minor objections from the environment department have not been addressed since Anil Sharma’s re-election, leading to the project’s abandonment. Instead, the MLA has now shifted his focus to advocating for a stadium in Paddal.

Praveen challenged MLA Anil Sharma to explain his indifference towards the proposed Khelo India Sports Centre, questioning why, if he objected to the Ratti location, he did not propose an alternative site. He also demanded clarity on the source of funding for the indoor stadium in Paddal, which the MLA claims would lapse.

Furthermore, Sharma questioned whether the MLA’s actions against the Dev Samaj are driven by prejudice, as he appears determined to dismantle their sitting area. Praveen also called on the MLA to present his achievements during his nearly two-year term in office.