The Ganesh Mandir Indoor Stadium, which was founded in October 1999, could not mature as a major sports hub of Guwahati because of the lack of financial support from the state government.
The 24-year-old establishment located on the GS Road in Khanapara is now just a mere venue for badminton coaching and other non-sports activities like expo, trade fair, and a platform for marriages.
The last time the indoor stadium was used by the Government was during the 33rd National Games, which was held in 2007 in Guwahati.
During the last 16 years, the indoor stadium was never utilised for any sporting activities by the state government.
The sports infrastructure stands on 10 bighas of land, which is divided into an indoor stadium complex and an open space.
At present, the open space is used by organisations like the National Bank For Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and Assam State Rural Livelihood Mission (ASRLM) for their seasonal events such as SARAS Mela, Karigar Mela, and the Rojgaar Mela.
Apart from melas and expos, the only sporting event which was conducted in the stadium was the Assam State Karate Championship.
The championship was organised by the Assam State Karate Association in October 2022. More than 1,200 contestants from all the districts of Assam participated in the championship.
The Ganesh Mandir Indoor Stadium is currently under the care of the Khanapara Sports and Cultural Organisation (KSCO). The KSCO committee has around 150 members, who are actively involved in the upkeep of the sports complex.
Pankaj Hazarika, Manager of KSCO, while speaking to GPlus about the challenges, said, “We have not received any financial support from the Assam government for the upkeep and development of the stadium.”
The then Assam Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta and the then PWD minister Atul Bora had laid the foundation stone of the stadium. “And after laying the foundation stone, there has been no involvement of the government in developing the indoor stadium,” Hazarika said.
Members of KSCO are unhappy with the state government’s lukewarm response to the need for funds for the better upkeep of the Ganesh Mandir Indoor Stadium complex.
While sports and games have been top on the agenda of the Assam government, it is surprising why the Ganesh Mandir Indoor Stadium complex has been left to languish in such a poor condition.
“Neither funds nor has any restoration project been proposed. We bear the entire expenses for maintenance,” Hazarika said.
In 2016 the KSCO started a badminton academy - the Khanapara Badminton Nursery. Now there are around 200 students of different categories.
“The fee collected from the members of the badminton academy is used to pay our bills. This includes electricity dues, water, and even garbage disposal,” Hazarika said.
The Khanapara Badminton Nursery is under the supervision of Biswajit Ghosh, an All India Level Chief Referee of Badminton. Other coaches support Ghosh with the training.
The KSCO has set up four categories of coaching facilities at the Khanapara Badminton Nursery. It starts with beginners’ level, followed by intermediate, advanced, and elite level. The fee structure per month is Rs 1000, Rs 1200, Rs 1500 and Rs 3000 respectively.
During the last seven years of its existence, the Khanapara Badminton Nursery has produced several national-level players, and many of them represented Assam at different levels.
As the KSCO is cash-starved, they are left with no other option but to rent out the open space for different non-sports events. Hazarika added that it is an effort to collect revenue for maintenance and upgrading the indoor stadium. For any normal event, the committee charges Rs 10,000 per day.
Meanwhile, there are provisions for organising marriage ceremonies. Although the committee is of the notion that such events should not be entertained. Hence, to limit it, they charge ₹50,000 per day.
With the revenues collected from letting out the open space, the KSCO undertook several restoration works of the Ganesh Mandir Indoor Stadium.
A wooden base floor was laid in the stadium recently. In addition to the wooden floor, mats for 6 badminton courts were also laid down. The entire project cost was around Rs 8 lakh.
It is to be mentioned that the stadium was first built with donations from the Ganesh Mandir Committee. The Ganesh Mandir is located at the 9th Mile. After completion, the stadium was named after the holy Ganesh temple.
Even as the Ganesh Mandir Indoor Stadium did not get support from the state government, it still stands firm.
More than two decades ago, the stadium played a vital role in promoting sports and games. But, now it lies in a latent state.