Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced the construction of open mini stadiums in every upazila of the country with the thought of bringing the youth back from the path of drugs to the playground. As promised by the head of government, the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the National Sports Council have created a project titled ‘Construction of Sheikh Russell Mini Stadium at Upazila Level’ and are implementing it in 4 phases. Meanwhile, the construction of 125 mini stadiums in the first phase has been completed. The second phase of the project is underway. 25 stadiums of the second phase have already been inaugurated.
The official image of the implementation of the Sheikh Russell Mini Stadium project does not match the reality to a large extent. Somewhere the field is made; But that field is not suitable for playing, there is no maintenance anywhere. Somewhere the field is occupied by shepherds, there is no place to play. All the structures that have been constructed for the mini stadium are also in a deplorable condition.
Jagonews has inquired about this mini stadium project implemented across the country. They are presented to the readers in sequence. Read Part I, II, III, IV and V from here. Published today 6th and last episode।
The second project of Tk 1649 Crore 32 Lakh was made in FY 2018-19. The project was approved in May 2021 at ECNEC meeting. 186 Sheikh Russell mini stadiums will be constructed in the second phase of the project. Among them, 66 started working first. Inauguration after 25 constructions. However, many Upejla stadiums are not fully completed. Before that, the Ministry of Youth and Sports hastily opened. Currently 41 are under construction.
The budget of the stadiums in the second phase of the project is much higher than that of the stadiums constructed in the first phase of the project. For that reason, these stadiums are also good to see. In a word, as the budget has increased, so has the decoration. Upazilas which are getting stadiums in the second phase are very happy.
Phase I stadiums had nothing but RCC benches for spectators. A 300 feet gallery is being built in the second phase of the stadiums. The top floor will also have facilities for VIPs to watch the game. If necessary, these stadiums can also be used as shelters during disasters.
Assistant Director (Planning and Development) Sukumar Saha of the National Sports Council said that while the work of the second phase is in progress, the project for the construction of 126 stadiums in the third phase of the project has been prepared and submitted. The cost of this project has been estimated at 750 crores. In the third phase, government Khas land acquisition has been proposed in 19 upazilas. Stadiums will be constructed in the remaining 28 upazilas in the fourth phase of the project.
The stadiums of the 25 upazilas of the second phase have been inaugurated
Rangpur Division Tentulia, Sadar in Panchagarh district, Haripur, Pirganj in Thakurgaon district, Nawabganj in Dinajpur district, Kishoreganj, Dimla in Nilphamari district.
Khulna Division Sadao and Gangni of Meherpur district.
Barisal Division Daulatkhan of Bhola district, Bakerganj of Barisal district.
Mymensingh Division Jamalpur District Islampur, Mymensingh District Phulpur, Muktagacha, Gafargaon.
Dhaka division Hossainpur, Sadar of Kishoreganj District, Sadar of Munshiganj District.
Sylhet Division Dirai, Bishwambharpur, Jagannathpur of Sunamganj district, Madhavpur of Habiganj district, Jaintapur of Sylhet district.
Chittagong Division Matiranga, Mahalachari in hilly Khagrachhari district.
‘There will be 495 stadiums, maintenance is a big challenge’
The National Sports Council completed its duties by building the facility. No initiative is taken for its maintenance. Because of that, many big stadiums are also falling into disrepair due to lack of maintenance. Sheikh Russell Mini Stadium is a big project. After spending thousands of crores of rupees to implement the project will be neglected?
When asked, Director of National Sports Council (Planning and Development). Shamsul Alam said, ‘We don’t have any maintenance budget in this Sheikh Russell Mini Stadium project. Upazila sports organizations do the maintenance work out of the annual allocation. But we have a plan. We have already discussed this with the minister. 125 stadiums were constructed in the first phase. 25 have been inaugurated within 66 hours of the second phase. We are working on a proposal to employ 2 to 300 people through sourcing to maintain these 150 stadiums.’
How would the budget be if this person were hired through outsourcing? The director of the National Sports Council said, “If we keep the monthly remuneration at Tk 16,500, it will take about Tk 6 crore a year.” If this can be done then permanent maintenance of the stadiums can be arranged. We are coming up with a plan keeping the maintenance in mind. When the project is completed, there will be 495 stadiums. An average of 10 crore rupees will be spent annually for maintenance. There will be 495 stadiums, it is huge. Their maintenance is also a challenge.
