Pulwama gets Valley's first synthetic hockey turf

PULWAMA: Honourable Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha today laid the e-foundation of Hockey Astro Turf Stadium at Pulwama. The E-foundation was also attended by Director General Youth Services and Sports Dr Saleem Ur Rehman, Deputy Commissioner Pulwama Dr Raghav Langer and DYSSO Pulwama Syed Noor Ul Haq.

The stadium will be constructed in Govt. Boys Higher Secondary School Pulwama. Rs 5 Crore will be spend on the construction so as to make it of international standard.

The stadium is being constructed under Augmentation of Sports Infrastructure in Jammu Kashmir scheme for year 2019.

The LG assured that the construction of the stadium will be done on war-footing basis.

The Hockey Astro Turf was a long pending demand of the hockey lovers of the district.  The management and players of Hockey Pulwama and Victor Sports Club Pulwama thanked the government for providing such an asset for the youth of Pulwama.

The Hockey Astro Turf will be the first of its kind in Kashmir valley and second in the Union Territory.  

Mujtaba Andrabi, a young State level player said, "I am really glad about the news. We finally will have a place to practice and raise the standard of our game."

While Ariz, a senior hockey player, said, "From years, we have been waiting for something like this. It seems like a miracle that Pulwama is getting a stadium of such standards."

Syed Jameel Mustafa, president Hockey Pulwama said, "Although Pulwama has produced many hockey players who have represented different institutes in different tournaments. But the stadium was a basic need for the growth of hockey at the grassroot level. We are highly thankful to the authorities for providing Valley's first Astro Turf Hockey Stadium to Pulwama."