Kochi's Rs 4.8-crore 'sports mystery' frustrates city residents
Creepers have quietly claimed corners of the building, grass grows wild, and cobwebs cling to the window sills — making it appear as though the place has been abandoned for years. It resembles a ghost bungalow.
We are talking about the Kalamassery Municipal Indoor Stadium and Multipurpose Hall, which was shut down soon after its inauguration five years ago. Why? That remains a mystery to most local residents.
Nearly nine years ago, the project was launched with the aim of promoting indoor sports such as volleyball, badminton, and basketball. It was an ambitious initiative, developed at a reported cost of Rs 4.8 crore — Rs 3 crore funded by the municipality, and the rest through a grant from the Central Finance Commission.
'The land is owned by the municipality. In 1998, the area was meant to be used as an industrial estate as part of a state government project. However, the plan never took off,' says former Kalamassery municipal chairperson Jamal Manakkadan.
'Later, other proposals like building a fish market came through, but the local residents opposed the idea. With the land lying unused, the idea of a stadium was mooted.'
The plan was to promote the sports culture, host competitions and put the barren land into good use, Jamal notes. 'The foundation stone for the stadium was laid in 2014 by then Chief Minister Oommen Chandy,' he adds.
'There were initial delays due to operational hurdles. Later, the 2018 floods stalled construction for over a year. Finally, it was inaugurated by then Sports Minister A C Moideen in 2020. Then, there were delays in getting electricity supply from KSEB.'
Despite the delays, Kalamassery residents were buoyed. The locality, after all, was now home to a prime sports complex. The excitement, however, was short-lived — the building was never opened to the public.
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