Naharkatia Multi Sports Complex Inaugurated to Boost Sports InfrastructureRs 22-crore facility offers modern amenities for football, athletics and swimming; international-standard cricket stadium strengthens sporting prospects.

Dalim Phukan

Hills Live News, Guwahati, October 13: Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday inaugurated the Naharkatia Multi Sports Complex, marking a significant step towards strengthening sports infrastructure and nurturing sporting talent in Assam.
The Rs 22-crore complex, the first of its kind in the Naharkatia Legislative Assembly Constituency, has been developed to provide modern facilities for sports training, competitions and recreational activities. The integrated campus features a football field with an underground drainage and sprinkler system, an earthen running track, a 25-metre-by-15-metre swimming pool and a covered reinforced cement concrete (RCC) spectator gallery.
The complex also houses a gymnasium, players’ dressing rooms with attached toilets, a medical and first-aid room, a canteen, administrative offices, a VIP lounge and a meeting and conference room. The swimming pool section has spectator galleries, separate changing rooms and shower facilities for boys and girls, besides a water filtration and circulation system.
The region’s sporting infrastructure has received a further boost with the completion of an international-standard cricket stadium by the Assam Cricket Association. The stadium has a pavilion with players’ dressing rooms, a referee’s room, office facilities, a dining area and dormitory accommodation. It also offers indoor and outdoor practice facilities and a green spectator gallery with seating for 150 people.
Addressing the gathering, Dr Sarma said Naharkatia was known not only for its natural beauty and rich cultural heritage but also for its glorious sporting legacy. He paid tribute to the late Toshen Bora, a distinguished footballer from Assam who represented India at the 1970 Asian Games and was part of the Indian team that participated in the Pre-Olympic Football Tournament in Rangoon in 1972.
The Chief Minister also recalled Bora’s achievement as the first person from the Northeast to serve as a selector for the Indian national football team, observing that his career demonstrated how sporting talent could emerge from any part of the country.
Highlighting Naharkatia’s contribution to different sporting disciplines, Dr Sarma referred to Bonti Gogoi of the Indian women’s national football team and Under-19 players Pallabita Bora, Biju Gogoi and Thagit Sonowal. He also remembered the contributions of the late Jayanta Sonowal and Hiren Gogoi to hockey, while mentioning international-level athlete Pamila Devi and Hemi Das of Masters India for their achievements in athletics.
He further recalled that Assam’s first volleyball team was formed in Naharkatia and mentioned Jaishree Gogoi, the first NIS coach from the team, along with volleyball player Neha Kumari.
Praising the achievements of Naharkatia’s girls’ hockey team, the Chief Minister said it had won championships at senior, junior and sub-junior levels on several occasions. More than 100 girls from the constituency had represented Assam at the national level between 2010 and 2025, while the team had won the state championship on ten occasions, he said.
Dr Sarma also highlighted Naharkatia’s performance in the first two editions of Khel Maharan. The constituency secured championship or runner-up positions in kabaddi, football and volleyball at the district level in the inaugural edition, earning recognition as the Best Legislative Assembly Constituency. In the second edition, local athletes continued their strong performance and won gold, silver and bronze medals in road cycling, chess and athletics.
Announcing that the third edition of Khel Maharan would begin in November, the Chief Minister urged young people from Naharkatia to register in large numbers and participate in the sporting event.
Emphasising the State Government’s vision of developing Naharkatia into a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary sports hub, Dr Sarma said the new cricket stadium had created additional opportunities for local cricketers to train and compete. He also announced that the government was constructing a full-fledged hockey stadium in the vicinity.
The Chief Minister congratulated and thanked local MLA and Assam Cricket Association president Taranga Gogoi for his efforts in facilitating the development of sports infrastructure in the constituency.
Dr Sarma reiterated the State Government’s commitment to developing modern sports facilities across Assam, including in remote and rural areas, to ensure that young athletes receive quality training and opportunities to compete at state, national and international levels.
He expressed hope that the Naharkatia Multi Sports Complex would become a platform for identifying and nurturing grassroots talent, encouraging wider participation in sports and enabling aspiring athletes to achieve excellence.
Sports Minister Biswajit Daimary, Cultural Affairs Minister Bimal Bora, Labour Welfare Minister Rameshwar Teli, MLA and Assam Cricket Association president Taranga Gogoi, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, MP Terash Goala, several MLAs and other dignitaries attended the inauguration ceremony.