Stalled Central funding holding up multisports complex in Dimapur: CM

The rostrum at the Sammogooting Stadium which was inaugurated by the Chief Minister on January 24.

The rostrum at the Sammogooting Stadium which was inaugurated by the Chief Minister on January 24.

Chümoukedima gets Sammogooting Stadium worth Rs 9 Crores

Morung Express News
Dimapur | January 24

Stalled cash funding from the Centre is reportedly the reason behind the incomplete Multi-Disciplinary Sports Centre (MDSC) in Dimapur. Construction of the sports complex, which has become an embarrassment for the Nagaland state government, started in 2006 during the DAN-I government led by incumbent Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio. 

Some 17 years and almost Rs 60 cr later, only the skeletal structure of a 30,000-seater centre piece stadium and an annex running track have come up. The sports complex was envisioned to house a hockey ground, swimming pools, practice fields, gym and parking bay covering a sprawling 64 acres of land. 

Speaking at the inauguration of a new public ground-cum-football field, christened Sammogooting Stadium, in Chümoukedima, on January 24, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio admitted that the MDSC in Dimapur has been “under construction for a long time.”  “In Dimapur, the multi-disciplinary sports complex has been under construction for a long time. And many people have questioned why construction stopped,” he said. 

According to him, the reason for the extended delay was the Government of India doing away with the Planning Commission. He disclosed that the project was initiated with funding from the Planning Commission. But with the scrapping of the Planning Commission, and the institution of the NITI Aayog, he said that fund did not come as expected. 

He though claimed that the state government found other sources of funding and “started constructing.” When complete, he said that it will become the biggest sports complex in Nagaland. 

Six years ago, Nibu Nagi, Managing Director of NN Construction & Decors, the firm building the MDSC, told the media that construction started with the Planning Commission provisioning Rs. 60cr, doled out in installments of Rs 10 cr per year.  He claimed that the funding stopped after December 2013.

Sammogooting Stadium
He dedicated the Sammogooting Stadium to the people of Chümoukedima, Niuland and Dimapur. It is located in the Chümoukedima Deputy Commissioner’s office complex with the Central Administrative Works Department as the implementing agency. 

The construction cost, as announced by the CAWD Assistant Chief Engineer (ACE), was Rs 9,51,766. The work contract went to one JK Construction. According to the CAWD ACE, Sungtiba Amer, the contractor completed the construction 5 months ahead of schedule. Construction had started in May 2023 and completed in January 2025.  

Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio said that his government is trying to create this kind of sports facilities in the other districts as well. “I am confident that this kind of stadiums will inspire and foster unity, and also strengthen our community and contribute to the development and unity of the Nagas,” he said. 

He said that the new stadium was so named considering its historical significance to Nagaland. Sammogooting or Samagooting was the first administrative headquarters of the British colonial administration for the erstwhile Naga Hills District. 

According to Rio, the name was chosen based on the notification issued by the colonial administration on November 15, 1866, notifying the creation of the Naga Hills District. In that order, as per the state archival records, available with the Directorate of Art and Culture, the name of the district headquarters was spelt as ‘Sammogooting,’ present-day Chümoukedima. 

Chümoukedima district also goes by the moniker— Land of opportunities, and with unity and in cohesion, he said that development will come to the district. While stating that there are many unrecognised villages in the district, he called for giving government recognition to the unrecognised villages by following established government procedure. 



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