A hill district's athletes are getting a long-overdue upgrade. Under the guidance of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, renovation work worth approximately ₹90 lakh is underway at the Kandoliya sports ground in Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand — channelling fresh investment into a region where quality sports infrastructure has historically been sparse.

The Chief Minister's Office of Uttarakhand shared the update on Wednesday, 21 October 2026, announcing the improvement works at the Kandoliya ground via its official X account. The post, tagged #Sports #PauriGarhwal #Uttarakhand, signals state attention toward district-level recreational facilities in the Garhwal division.

Kandoliya Ground and the Pauri Garhwal Context

Pauri Garhwal sits in Uttarakhand's Garhwal division — a hilly, often remote district where youth amenities have struggled to keep pace with urban centres. The Kandoliya sports ground serves as a key local venue for athletics and recreational activity in the district. Improvements here directly benefit young athletes who otherwise have limited access to maintained sports facilities.

Uttarakhand governments have periodically funded upgrades to district-level sports grounds as part of broader efforts to improve recreational infrastructure in remote hilly areas. Such projects intersect with a persistent state challenge: out-migration of young people from districts like Pauri Garhwal in search of better opportunities. Better local amenities — including functional sports grounds — are seen as one lever to anchor youth to their home districts.

₹90 Lakh Bet on Local Sport

The approximately ₹90 lakh earmarked for the Kandoliya upgrade represents a targeted district-level investment rather than a flagship state scheme. CM Dhami, who has been in office since 2021, has consistently framed infrastructure spending in Uttarakhand's hill districts as integral to equitable development. Projects of this scale, while modest by national standards, carry outsized significance in under-resourced districts where even basic sports infrastructure is scarce.

The specific scope of works at the ground — whether it covers levelling, floodlighting, seating, or surface improvements — has not been detailed in the official communication. Completion timelines and details of any inaugural events or competitions planned at the upgraded venue are also yet to be announced.

For the young athletes and sporting communities of Pauri Garhwal, the real score will be measured not in rupees spent, but in the calibre of competitions and careers the renovated ground makes possible.