Shillong (Meghalaya ) , June 22: On Thursday morning, a part of the peripheral retaining wall of the football stadium of the P.A. Sangma Sports Complex collapsed. The initial cause has been noted as damage under the duress of heavy rains experienced in Tura and the West Garo Hills region.
No casualties have been suffered as a result of the incident.
The football stadium is a part of the larger PA Sangma Sports complex, one of the most significant sports infrastructure projects being undertaken by the Department of Sports and Youth Affairs. The project has three major components. The football stadium is India’s largest football stadium built with prefabricated technology.
The capacity is 9500, which includes the newly constructed North, South, and East Stands, and new facilities for spectators and athletes. Two indoor halls are additionally being constructed, with a built up area of 10,544 sq.m.
The first indoor hall includes facilities for swimming and squash, as well as a gymnasium. The second hall can facilitate multiple sports including badminton, table tennis, and basketball. The football stadium was inaugurated in December 2022 and the indoor halls are expected to be completed in December 2024.
The combined cost of the entire project is Rs. 127.7 Crores.
The project location has been selected to be accessible to the residents of Tura town.
The design was done by nationally acclaimed design agencies taking into consideration all the requirements for hosting national and international matches.
The project is being executed by Hindustan Steelworks Construction Limited, a Government of India Agency under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
The implementation has been carried out incorporating best practices in design, construction supervision, and project management, addressing every requirement of transparency and accountability. Further, all technical drawings of the complex, including the retaining wall, have been vetted and verified by experts from reputed national institutions.
The reasons for the collapse of part of the retaining wall are being inquired into. The Deputy Commissioner, West Garo Hills, has launched an official investigation into the matter.
Additionally, an engineering team from the State Sports Council of Meghalaya, Shillong, is already at the site with the contractors conducting a technical investigation. All debris is being cleared at present, and immediate repair works will commence.
The Department is working with all the stakeholders to ensure that the construction of the project is completed on time and that the people and the youth of Tura can utilize this significant infrastructure.
Meanwhile, Tura BJP MDC Bernard Marak has lodged an FIR with the police against the contractor executing the PA Sangma stadium complex in Tura, West Garo Hills.
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In the FIR lodged , Marak said that the stadium at Dakopgre, Tura collapsed this morning due Its shoddy and cheap standard work which has led to its collapse even before completion of the work.
The collapse of the half-completed work of the stadium is a threat to the lives of the people living around leading to damage to their personal properties”, Marak said in the FIR.
It is a clear sign of nepotism, corruption and cheating the people of public fund. This project involves huge public fund from Central government ( Minority Affairs) and urged the police to register the case and book people responsible for the collapse of the stadium.
Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Thursday evening said that Instructions have been given to the Administration and the Department to conduct a thorough investigation and for the contractors to submit a report on the cause of the damage .
Following reports of the partial damage to the retaining wall of the P A Sangma Stadium in Tura, officials have been on the job to clear the landslide debris. Instructions have been given to the Administration and the Department to conduct a thorough investigation and for the…
— Conrad K Sangma (@SangmaConrad) June 22, 2023
