Illegal Mining Mafia Destroys Twin Sports Stadiums in Bandipora, Nasir Khuehami Seeks CM’s Intervention
Bandipora, March 3: Alleged illegal sand mining has devastated two major sports stadiums in Bandipora—Baba Kareeme Sports Stadium and Adnan Sports Stadium—leaving behind barren pits where athletes once trained, Student leader Nasir Khuehami alleged on Sunday.
In a statement issuer to Kashmir Convener, Khuehami said the rampant mining, carried out in broad daylight, has sparked outrage, with Jammu and Kashmir Students Association National Convenor urging Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to intervene immediately.
Khuehami expressed deep anguish over the destruction, stating that both stadiums, once vibrant centers for cricket and football, have been reduced to ruins due to unchecked sand extraction. Goalposts have been shattered, cricket pitches worth lakhs have been destroyed, and the stadium boundaries have been erased. The unregulated use of JCB machines and tractors has turned these fields into excavation sites, depriving thousands of young players of a place to train and compete.
Despite repeated complaints, the District Administration of Bandipora, J&K Sports Council, and local representatives have remained silent spectators, failing to act against the plundering of public property. Khuehami questioned whether the administration is complicit in the destruction or merely indifferent to the future of sports and youth in the region.
He highlighted that residents who resisted the mafia’s activities were threatened, while officials continued to turn a blind eye to the destruction unfolding before them.
“For the past five years, illegal mining has systematically dismantled these stadiums. The carefully maintained pitches, which took years of effort to develop, have been ravaged beyond repair,” Khuehami said. “How can the government claim to promote sports while allowing its own stadiums to be destroyed? This is a betrayal of the youth and an assault on their aspirations.”
Khuehami accused a well-oiled nexus of officials, politicians, and mining mafias of operating with total impunity. “Even CCTV footage from night operations has failed to move the administration to action,” he alleged in the statement.
He demanded that those responsible be arrested and prosecuted under the strictest laws, and that the stadiums be fully restored so young athletes can train again.
Beyond the destruction of sports infrastructure, Khuehami pointed out the severe environmental consequences of illegal mining.
“The unchecked excavation has disrupted local water bodies, depleted resources, and even damaged public properties belonging to the Forest Department, Agriculture Department, Polytechnic College, and Wular embankments”.
He accused the Fisheries, Geology, and Mining Departments of enabling the mafia, calling for a high-level inquiry to expose those shielding illegal operations.
Khuehami urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to personally intervene before the damage becomes irreversible.
He demanded immediate action against those responsible, warning that if left unchecked, the mining mafia would completely erode the future of sports in Bandipora and irreparably damage the region’s biodiversity.
“If the government is serious about promoting youth engagement in sports and preventing drug addiction, it must act now,” he said. “The people of Bandipora will not stay silent while their land, resources, and dreams are plundered.”
