Itanagar: After nearly a decade of broken promises and bureaucratic silence, the people of Aalo in West Siang district have finally decided they’ve waited long enough.
On Monday, the locals led by West Siang District Olympic Association (WSDOA) rolled up its sleeves and began clearing the overgrown, debris-littered ground of the incomplete Aalo Indoor Stadium — a project that once carried the dreams of an entire generation of sports lovers but now stands as a symbol of apathy and abandonment.
Sanctioned in 2014-15 under the Special Plan Assistance (SPA) at a cost of Rs 35.28 crore, the stadium was meant to be a hub for youth and sports. Instead, it became a haunting reminder of what could have been. The project, awarded to M/s TK Engineering Consortium Ltd, broke ground in June 2018 and was to be completed in 36 months. Seven years later, it is still nowhere near finished.
“We’ve had enough,” said WSDOA president Nyatum Bagra, as volunteers pulled weeds and removed unused construction materials. “From today, we are reclaiming this ground — not just for football or volleyball tournaments, but for the future of our youth.”
For many in Aalo, this is not just a construction project — it’s a cry for help. “Because of this delay, our youths have turned to drugs, crime, and despair,” Bagra said. “What do you expect when there’s no place to channel their energy?”
Despite repeated pleas from civil society groups, elders, and students, the cries of West Siang have largely been ignored. Since November 2024, public pressure to make the construction firm vacate the site has gone unanswered. Broken machines, half-laid cement, and scattered materials still occupy what was once envisioned as a thriving sports facility.
Now, the people are doing what the state failed to — with bare hands and borrowed tools.
Community spirit has taken over where official support ended. Locals are donating cash. Volunteers are bringing food and water to the workers. The Aalo Tractor Union (ATU) has stepped in too — deploying more than 50 tractors free of cost to aid the ground-clearing effort.
Meanwhile, Sports and Youth Affairs minister Kento Jini — who represents Aalo in the assembly — has urged the youth to be patient. He said the government is in the process of terminating the contract with the executing firm.
“But the ground remains government property. Any damage will be your responsibility,” he cautioned.
To many, those words ring hollow. For now, Aalo’s people aren’t waiting for paperwork — they are building hope with their own hands.
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