A badminton court inaugurated at a mini stadium in a border district. Three forest patrol vehicles flagged off. A ₹256-crore women's sports college laid on paper. In a single sweep through Banbasa, Champawat on Sunday, 18 October 2026, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami set off a cascade of infrastructure commitments that touch sports, healthcare, transport, religious tourism, and forest conservation — all in one of Uttarakhand's most remote Kumaon districts.

What Dhami inaugurated and laid the foundation for

At the Mini Stadium, Banbasa, Dhami formally inaugurated a badminton court alongside multiple other development works. He also performed the foundation-laying (shilanyas) for four separate projects at the Captain Karam Chand Stadium, Chuna Bhatta, Banbasa — named after a local freedom fighter. Among those upcoming works: a badminton hall to be built under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funding worth ₹1.50 crore, which will give local athletes a dedicated, covered practice facility.

Dhami distributed sports kits and prizes to players, personally honouring two young champions — Sadhana, who topped the girls' category, and Jatin Chand, who won the boys' category. 'Honouring talented athletes is a recognition of their hard work and dedication,' he said, urging youth to make sport a daily habit, stay away from substance abuse, and lead a disciplined life.

A ₹256-crore women's sports college in Lohaghat

The headline investment of the day was the Women's Sports College being developed at Lohaghat at an estimated cost of ₹256.97 crore. Dhami described it as a defining initiative to expand sporting opportunities for women athletes across Uttarakhand. The college is intended to feed district-level talent into state and national competition circuits — and to raise women's participation in sport from aspiration to infrastructure.

₹237-crore ISBT and a new critical care block

On connectivity, Dhami highlighted the modern Interstate Bus Terminal (ISBT) at Tanakpur, being built at a cost of approximately ₹237.74 crore. The terminal is designed to strengthen transport links across the region's borders, easing movement for pilgrims, traders, and daily commuters alike.

Health infrastructure got equal attention. The CM confirmed that specialist doctors, regular health check-ups, and free medicine distribution have been arranged for the area. A 50-bed Critical Care Block costing ₹20 crore is under development in the district — a direct response to the lack of emergency medical infrastructure that has long plagued hill border districts.

Maa Purnagiri Dham and the Sharda Corridor push

Dhami also spoke on development works linked to Maa Purnagiri Dham and the Sharda Corridor — two religious tourism assets in Champawat. These projects, he said, will not only boost pilgrim footfall but also create fresh local employment and economic activity for communities that have historically depended on seasonal income.

NHPCL hands over three Tata Yodha vehicles for forest work

In a separate moment at the event, Dhami flagged off three Tata Yodha vehicles provided by NHPCL's Tanakpur Power Station under CSR to the Haldwani Forest Division and the Champawat Forest Division. The vehicles will support routine forest operations and accelerate conservation activities across the two divisions — a tangible, ground-level addition to Uttarakhand's stated environmental priorities.

Senior officials present included DM Manish Kumar, SP Rekha Yadav, SDM Pramod Kumar, and NHPCL Tanakpur Power Station head Rishi Ranjan Arya, alongside elected representatives, women's self-help groups, athletes, and large numbers of local residents.

Champawat's transformation from a border-district footnote into a multi-sector development hub is a deliberate political and administrative bet — and the next test is whether a ₹256-crore sports college and a ₹237-crore bus terminal will be operational before the next election cycle comes calling.