Baramulla Set for Major Upgrade in Sports Infrastructure

12 Feb 2026 CW Team

The Bipin Rawat stadium will be fitted with high mast floodlights to enable day and night matches and to improve scheduling flexibility. The venue has previously undergone transformative upgrades that introduced improved seating, an indoor stadium with badminton facilities and an all-weather net-practice pitch. Support structures have also been enhanced with a pavilion and changing rooms fitted with gender-based washroom facilities.

A detailed project report for the newly constructed football stadium at Azad Gunj Baramulla has been prepared at a cost of Rs 17.064 million (mn) to develop proper seating arrangements, a pavilion and changing rooms with gender-based washrooms. The plan also proposes CCTV surveillance to enhance safety and management of events. The government indicated that the project is expected to be taken up in the forthcoming budget and will represent a major step in developing football infrastructure in the town.

The district will also receive a modern hockey turf, a long-standing demand given Baramulla's record of producing prominent hockey players, and the DPR for the turf has been prepared at a cost of Rs 112.3 mn including floodlighting. Several potential sites including Kanispora, Jahama and Janbazpora have been identified by the district administration but the final project awaits transfer of land to the sports department, the government said. On the directions of the MLA a fresh proposal worth Rs 10 mn has been framed for upgrading the playfield at Frasthar Khawjabagh and is set to be included in the 2026-27 apex budget. Earlier plans for football grounds at Ushkara had been dropped owing to land feasibility issues and objections from the state power development corporation.

Baramulla is set to witness a significant expansion of sports infrastructure after the government unveiled a roadmap in the Legislative Assembly following a query from MLA Javed Hassan Beig. The package includes upgrades to the Bipin Rawat cricket stadium and new facilities for football and hockey across the district. The administration framed the measures as part of a broader effort to strengthen local sporting ecosystems. The Bipin Rawat stadium will be fitted with high mast floodlights to enable day and night matches and to improve scheduling flexibility. The venue has previously undergone transformative upgrades that introduced improved seating, an indoor stadium with badminton facilities and an all-weather net-practice pitch. Support structures have also been enhanced with a pavilion and changing rooms fitted with gender-based washroom facilities. A detailed project report for the newly constructed football stadium at Azad Gunj Baramulla has been prepared at a cost of Rs 17.064 million (mn) to develop proper seating arrangements, a pavilion and changing rooms with gender-based washrooms. The plan also proposes CCTV surveillance to enhance safety and management of events. The government indicated that the project is expected to be taken up in the forthcoming budget and will represent a major step in developing football infrastructure in the town. The district will also receive a modern hockey turf, a long-standing demand given Baramulla's record of producing prominent hockey players, and the DPR for the turf has been prepared at a cost of Rs 112.3 mn including floodlighting. Several potential sites including Kanispora, Jahama and Janbazpora have been identified by the district administration but the final project awaits transfer of land to the sports department, the government said. On the directions of the MLA a fresh proposal worth Rs 10 mn has been framed for upgrading the playfield at Frasthar Khawjabagh and is set to be included in the 2026-27 apex budget. Earlier plans for football grounds at Ushkara had been dropped owing to land feasibility issues and objections from the state power development corporation.

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