Punjab Government Pushes Major Infrastructural Boost For Mohali, Gives 32 New Stadiums Worth ₹11.2 crores

For sports fans in Punjab, the future looks brighter than ever. The state government’s continued investment in sports has sparked real excitement, especially since the launch of the New Sports Policy 2023. Major infrastructure upgrades are already in progress, with hockey turfs in Mohali, Bhatinda, and Ludhiana being replaced at a cost of ₹10.50 crore. The synthetic athletic track at Mohali’s Sector 78 stadium is also undergoing a ₹9 crore makeover, scheduled to be completed by March 2026. Adding to the buzz, local MLA and Mohali’s first mayor, Kulwant Singh, announced 32 new stadiums to be constructed, with ₹35 lakhs to be spent on each facility, amounting to ₹11.2 crores.

In a major initiative to promote sports culture in the state. These facilities will consist of jogging tracks, volleyball courts, storage, common rooms, and accessible washrooms. Singh also stressed how these facilities will serve as a recreational space and aid for children's health in Punjab to drive youth away from drugs.

“For the first time in Punjab’s history, a government has planned to build stadiums in every village, keeping the future and health of children at the centre of its policies,” he said.

He also expressed his gratitude towards the village panchayat, which played a very pivotal role in providing 1.75 acres for the stadium and an additional 1 acre for the parking. The people also see this as a move to tackle years of negligence in the existing sports facilities in the city.

The forgotten fields

The MLA informed that these new state-of-the-art facilities will narrow the divide in the lack of governance, maintenance, and accountability for the existing stadiums in the city. One of the clearest examples of this alleged negligence is the multi-purpose sports stadium in Phase IX, Mohali. Once meant to nurture sporting talent, the stadium now reflects administrative apathy, lying in a crumbling state. Adding to the concern, solar panels worth crores, installed using public funds, were reportedly stolen. Singh also visited the under-construction sports stadium at Saidpura village to review the progress.

Punjab government’s push for sports

Last month, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann met with the sports and youth department officials of the state. Key projects from the meeting focus on modern facilities to boost youth sports and combat drug issues, with a ₹ 1,350 crore budget for 3,100 stadiums province-wide by June 2026. In the first phase, the state will invest ₹35 crore to set up gyms at 1,000 locations, each fully loaded with weight-training and fitness equipment such as barbells, dumbbells, benches, kettlebells, and floor mats. Adding to the boost for grassroots sports, the Chief Minister revealed plans to distribute 17,000 sports kits worth ₹50 crore. Each kit will include volleyball, football, and cricket equipment, with 5,600 kits set to reach villages by March 31, 2026.

Brownie points for Mohali

Adding another feather to the city’s cap, three villages of Mohali, Manak Majra, Manakpur Kallar, and Giga Majra are set to get new open gyms, giving more spaces to stay active. MP Malvinder Singh Kang announced that ₹3 lakh per village has been sanctioned under the MPLAD scheme for the gyms. But the updates don’t just stop there. Giga Majra now has public benches worth ₹1 lakh, while Manak Majra has been brightened with solar lights costing ₹1 lakh.