Barely ten months after it was opened for the Junior National Basketball Championship, the state-of-the-art indoor basketball hall at Guru Nanak Stadium, Ludhiana, has once again developed leaks, raising serious concerns over the quality of construction at one of Punjab’s premier sports facilities.
Following a spell of rain on Thursday, water seeped through the roof at several places, accumulating on the imported wooden playing surface, spectators’ galleries and staircases. The leakage has alarmed players and basketball officials, who fear that continued seepage could permanently damage the expensive FIBA-standard wooden flooring besides posing a safety hazard.
This is not the first time the facility has faced a leakage problem. The roof had also leaked just before the Junior National Basketball Championship, held from September 2 to 9 in 2025. Emergency repairs were carried out at the time to ensure successful conduct of the championship. However, the resurgence of the problem within a year has sparked criticism over the quality of the repairs and the overall execution of the project.
Teja Singh Dhaliwal, General Secretary, Punjab Basketball Association (PBA), said the matter had been brought to the notice of then Punjab minister Sanjeev Arora during the national championship. Following his intervention, temporary repairs were undertaken.
Dhaliwal said he subsequently wrote to the then Commissioner of the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation (MC), Neeru Katyal, urging her to direct the officials concerned to permanently rectify the shortcomings. According him, she marked the complaint to the Assistant Commissioner with instructions to inspect the facility and take necessary action. “Unfortunately, nothing substantial was done. The latest rainfall has once again exposed the defects, proving that only temporary measures were adopted,” he alleged.
Dhaliwal claimed that the facility, despite missing multiple completion deadlines, was eventually opened for use even though several deficiencies remained. “The wooden floor now produces creaking sounds when some walks on it, indicating possible damage or poor installation. In addition, nails used for fixing the flooring have started protruding at several points, posing a serious risk of injury to players, referees and officials,” he said.
Dhaliwal warned that if water continued to seep onto the wooden court, the damage could become irreversible, resulting in substantial financial loss to the civic body. With the stadium slated to host the finals of the Akal Jugat Bhulath Basketball League on July 4, the PBA has urged the civic authorities to undertake a comprehensive structural audit of the roof and flooring before the event.
Dhaliwal said he had appealed to Municipal Commissioner Ojasvi Alankar to initiate strict action against the officials and contractor responsible for the alleged lapses. “Public money has been spent on creating this facility. Those responsible for compromising the quality of construction should be held accountable and exemplary action should be taken so that such negligence is not repeated in future sports infrastructure projects, which are the treasures for the coming generations,” Dhaliwal said.
When contacted, Municipal Corporation officials said they would examine the complaint and take appropriate action.
