A State Cabinet meeting held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday took sixteen important decisions pertaining to the Departments of Sports and Youth Services, Water Resources, Finance, General Administration and Public Grievances, Health and Family Welfare, Home, Labour and ESI, Revenue and Disaster Management and Works.
Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra said the major decisions of Cabinet included approval of a tender call for renovation of the Upper Indravati Right Main Canal; development of urban sports infrastructure; sanction of lease of 18.23-acre Government land in favour of IIM, Sambalpur for establishment of a permanent campus; waiver of annual rent and cess on Government land for establishment of Bagchi-Sri Shankar Cancer Centre and Research Institute and Bagchi Karunashraya Palliative Care Centre at Bhubaneswar; and approval of turnkey tender for the Shreemandir Parikramaa Project. The Cabinet also approved construction of 89 multipurpose indoor stadiums under an Urban Sports Infrastructure Development Project at a total cost of Rs 693.35 crore to be completed in next 18 months. This would provide a major boost for the development of sports.
“The State Government has been focusing on development of sports. In recent years, the State has been recognised as a leading destination for sports events and promotion of sports. Under the 5 T initiatives, this project has been taken up to ensure transformation of the sports sector,” said the Cabinet Note. The indoor stadiums are to be designed to withstand 200-kmph wind speed. In times of pandemics, the stadiums can be converted into 50-bed (NAfl Model) or 100-bed (Municipality Model) field hospitals. The stadiums would be an asset for the ULBs for purposes of training, meetings, examination centres. etc.