Teenager Baljit Singh, a resident of Kotla Bathungarh village, idolises the holy city’s cricket star Abhishek Sharma. He never misses a single match featuring his idol and regularly follows his performances on social media.Aspiring to make a name for himself in cricket, Baljit dreams of building a long and successful career in the game. However, his biggest challenge is reaching Gandhi Ground, located more than 27 km from his village. Adding to his difficulties is the heavy traffic, which makes commuting particularly challenging along the last 10 km of the journey.He saw his long term dream to play on a finely curated cricket pitch when a sports stadium was thrown opened for youth in his village.Minister for Public Works and Power, Harbhajan Singh ETO, yesterday inaugurated the stadium constructed at a cost of Rs 1.70 crore in the village, falling under Jandiala Guru Assembly constituency, which he represents in the Punjab legislative assembly.He said that several modern facilities have been provided at the sports stadium, keeping in view the requirements of players. These include a boundary wall, pavilion, seating steps, football ground, volleyball ground, cricket practice pitch, gymnasium hall, lighting arrangements, approach road and parking facilities.Voicing demand of youngsters like Baljit he said the construction of the stadium would provide better opportunities to the youth of not only Kotla Bathungarh village but also surrounding villages to participate in sporting activities and hone their sporting talent.He said his government aims to strengthen sports infrastructure at the village level and encourage the youth of the state to excel in the field of sports.The Cabinet Minister said that the government was continuously making efforts to connect youth with sports and provide them with better sporting facilities. “Sports play an important role in the physical and mental development of young people while also inculcating discipline, team spirit and a positive attitude among them”.