Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik laid foundation-stone of India’s largest hockey stadium here on Tuesday. This stadium here and the Kalinga Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneswar would jointly host the Hockey World Cup 2023 tournament
He announced that the stadium would be named after western Odisha’s legendary freedom fighter Birsa Munda.
The stadium site is located in over 15 acres of land in the campus of Biju Patnaik University of Technology and is adjacent to the Rourkela airstrip, from where commercial flights are expected to start soon.The stadium would be a new benchmark in global stadium design for hockey, offering one of the finest spectator experiences in the world and, with a chaired seat capacity exceeding 20,000, would become the country’s largest hockey stadium.
The stadium would be a model of green, functional and cost-effective design. Designed to deliver the best match day atmospheres in the world, each seat would have uninterrupted sightlines and the spectators would be closer to the pitch than at any other hockey stadium in the world.
Working closely with the Hockey India, every aspect of the technical and operational compliances would be met to provide a seamless facility to host the World Cup. The stadium, to be developed over 15 acres of land inside the Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT) campus here, would have a seating capacity of 20,000 with allied facilities. Its construction is expected to be completed within a year.
During his visit to Sundargarh district, the Chief Minister also launched infrastructure development projects worth Rs 4,915 crore in the district. The projects include drinking water projects worth Rs 1,611 crore, irrigation projects of Rs 320 crore, health services projects worth Rs 111 crore, roads and bridges worth Rs 1060 crore, education projects worth Rs 366 crore, sanitation projects worth Rs 250 crore, livelihood initiatives worth Rs 216 crore, smart city development projects worth Rs 471 crore, electricity projects of Rs 38 crore, infrastructure development projects worth Rs 67 crore, women and child care projects worth Rs 135 crore, clean environment worth Rs 12 crore, skill development projects worth Rs 15 crore and sports infrastructure projects worth Rs 120 crore.
Earlier, hundreds of BJP workers were taken into preventive custody following a scuffle with police while they protested the CM’s visit near the Jubilee Park in Sector-8. BJP State spokesman Dhiren Senapati demanded that CM must tell the people of Rourkela what he has done to the projects that he had promised during the 2014 elections.
Besides, the Congress, led by Rourkela district president Gorge Tirkey, also staged a dharna near Bisra Chowk to protest the CM’s visit. The party observed a ‘Dhoka Divas’ (deception day) alleging that the State Government has done nothing for Rourkela except making tall promises.