JAMMU, September 30, 2026 – Recent figures tabled in the Legislative Assembly have laid bare a stark and troubling disparity in sports infrastructure expenditure between the Jammu and Kashmir divisions, prompting serious questions about governance and administrative accountability. The documented statistics reveal that during the 2024-25 financial year, the ten districts of the Kashmir division recorded more than three times the sports infrastructure expenditure compared to the ten districts of the Jammu division. This glaring imbalance is being viewed not merely as an administrative oversight, but as an indictment of a systemic failure within the region’s sports administration.
The most glaring case study of this institutional apathy is Jammu district itself. Despite receiving the largest single-district sanction of Rs 17.99 crore—with Rs 14.53 crore explicitly released for developmental use—the actual expenditure stood at a paltry Rs 1.97 crore. Millions intended for the construction of courts, athletic halls, and playfields have remained inexplicably unutilized in government coffers, leaving local athletes without adequate facilities or proper sporting kits. Compounding the frustration is the absence of any official explanation for this massive underutilization. No officers have been held accountable, and no corrective mechanisms appear to have been triggered, despite the pattern of neglect persisting across two consecutive financial years.
The situation is particularly ironic given that the current Minister for Youth Services and Sports hails from the Jammu division, making the massive lapse in local infrastructure spending all the more unexpected. The failure to deploy these critical funds directly contradicts the Prime Minister’s national vision of championing sports as an integral part of youth development and as a vital antidote to the rising scourge of drug abuse. Critics and local leaders are now urgently demanding a transparent, district-wise accounting of why these sanctioned funds were surrendered. Furthermore, there are mounting calls for an immediate review of the current financial year’s allocations to ensure that robust safeguards are implemented. The sporting fraternity of Jammu is seeking swift corrective action, emphasizing that equitable development on the sports field is essential to confirm that no region remains marginalized.
Published by True Roots Media Network