The dream of building a world-class Arun Jaitley Sports Complex at Hiranagar in Kathua district will soon come true. The sports complex to be built at the cost of about Rs 58.23 crore will have world-class facilities for cricket, hockey, football, wrestling and athletics. This will allow developing sports talent. This sports complex will also put Kathua district and Samba district of Jammu division on the country’s sports map.
On Tuesday, in a meeting of the State Administrative Council (SAC) chaired by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, the proposal to transfer the 144 Kanal 12 marla (more than 18 acres) land to the Sports Department for the construction of a sports complex was approved. In addition, the budget of Jammu and Kashmir, presented in the Parliament a day earlier, has also emphasized promoting sports activities.
The Arun Jaitley Sports Complex will be built at Karera in Hiranagar, about three kilometres from the Jammu-Pathankot National Highway. The distance from this complex to the international border is about 10 kilometres. The demand to build a stadium here was made for a long time. About a year and a half ago, in September 2020, the foundation stone for the construction of the sports complex was also laid, but the land transfer could not be done. In the SAC meeting held on Tuesday, the officers put the proposal before the Lieutenant Governor, then he approved it. Advisors to the Lieutenant Governor, Farooq Khan and Rajiv Rai Bhatnagar, Chief Secretary Dr Arun Kumar Mehta and Principal Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor Nitishwar Kumar were also present in the meeting.
Late BJP leader Arun Jaitley has a close relationship with Hiranagar. He was the son-in-law of the late Girdhari Lal Dogra, a former MP and finance minister of Jammu and Kashmir. Therefore, on the demand of the people of Hiranagar, a sports complex is being given in the memory of Jaitley.
