While new Inspector General of Police Traffic, Basant Rath is getting all praise for removing roadside encroachments, city traffic department has encroached upon main Polo Ground.
The ground which is meant for the playing purpose has been turned into dump yard by the traffic police department for the vehicles which it seizes for traffic violation.
The ground in 2012 was considered as the best in entire state and was only field where outside football teams wanted to play and considered fit for any level of the event.
However, after the September 2014 floods, everything changed with field being ignored by J&K State Sports Council (JKSSC) and the traffic police department took advantage and dumped vehicles.
Officials in JKSSC said that they have been writing continuously to traffic department for vacating the land that it has encroached upon but there is no action.
“Our officers have written number of letters to Traffic Police officials but they don’t care. Initially traffic Police only encroached on some part of adjacent field land but with time they expanded it. The access path to JKSSC office is through the dump yard and continuous movement of vehicles, cranes have damaged the field,” said JKSSC officials.
“It is not the main field that they have encroached but the vacant adjacent land. However, the land is property of JKSSC and traffic department have got no permission to dump seized vehicles there. The seized vehicles are kept in field then they seize the area by laying concertina wires. Our all development plans for the vacant land has been withheld due to continuous encroachment,” officials added.
Sports fraternity blamed JKSSC for the condition of the Polo ground.
“This is incapability of JKSSC officials as they have failed to do their job honestly. Apart from doing their job of maintaining the field they have even failed to stop it from being vandalized and encroached. It is irony that the place that is meant for carrying out sports activities is currently used by Traffic Police for dumping the vehicles,” said former J&K Football Association General Secretary Bashir Malik.
When contact SP Traffic City Srinagar, Al-Tahir Geelani said that he is unaware about the issue as he recently assumed the charge.
“I will look into and see what the issue is. I have recently taken charge of the city traffic,” he said.
Courtesy Greaterkashmir (http://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/sports/encroachment-takes-toll-on-kashmir-s-main-sports-ground/281970.html)