Players playing hockey in Mahamaya Stadium. Jagran Archive
Shahnawaz Ali, Ghaziabad. The year 2025 was like sunshine and shade from the point of view of sports and sports facilities and resources. For urban and rural sports talents, many sports practices and training can be taken at Mahamaya Stadium. For this, along with facilities and resources, trainers have also been appointed by the government, where there is a facility to get training by paying a fee of Rs 210 for the year, but due to the negligence of the deployed officers, this complex has become unfit for any sport.
Dainik Jagran started a campaign regarding sports and facilities and resources, the result of which was seen in the year 2025. The Directorate of Governance and Sports took cognizance and a budget of Rs 16.5 crore was released for its renovation. In this, work on badminton hall, swimming pool, judo hall, boxing ring, wrestling shed, basketball court, swimming pool, athletic track etc. started.
Not only this, this budget was continuously monitored to ensure that players get better sports facilities. The news of finding flaws was published, due to which the government ordered an investigation. A committee was formed and under its supervision the renovation and construction work is going on.
In the history of sports in the district, the international cricket stadium is still like a dream. Although the Chief Minister has handed over the responsibility of its construction to GDA, even after six years of its Bhoomi Pujan and eight years of its being proposed, not even a single brick could be laid here.
visible effect of the campaign
Dream of International Cricket Stadium
An international cricket stadium in Ghaziabad has been a dream for cricket lovers for the last decade. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has performed Bhoomi Pujan with the current Home Minister Amit Shah in the year 2019.
After this, in the year 2024, Board of Control for Cricket in India Vice Chairman Rajeev Shukla and the then Union Minister of State VK Singh laid the foundation stone of the International Cricket Stadium, but apart from their foundation stone, no new brick was laid there.
When the issue of the stadium was again raised before the Chief Minister, he gave the responsibility of it to the GDA. No work has been able to move forward in this yet.
Many players from the district brought glory to India across the world.
Abundance of private sports academies, need for government ones
There are plenty of private sports academies across the district. Here, more than 150 cricket grounds are being built on agricultural land and are being used commercially. Apart from this, football, lawn tennis and other sports activities are going on on agricultural land. To play or learn here, one has to pay a huge fee, which is not possible for a player from a poor or middle class family. Apart from Mahamaya Stadium, there is only Raispur ground in the name of government sports complex, which has neither facilities, resources nor trainers.
Training and sports facilities and resources for all sports are being increased in the stadium. Renovation work of the stadium is going on for various sports including badminton, swimming pool, boxing. In the coming year, Mahamaya Stadium will be seen with better sports facilities and resources. Applications for trainers have been invited for many sports.
- Abhishek Dhanuk, in-charge district sports
Leave aside the grounds, the condition of the local parks is pathetic. If planning is done then athletic tracks can be built in parks, where broken tiles on footpaths can be repaired. There is a shortage of trainers in the sports complex. Many are made arbitrarily, which are not able to provide better training to the players. A good coach should be appointed.
Satya Yadav, Chairman Para Athletic Association Ghaziabad