Bhubaneswar: On instructions of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra and Secretary to CM (5T) V K Pandian visited Rourkela and reviewed the progress of the under-construction Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium.
Secretary Sports and Youth Services R Vineel Krishna and Managing Director, IDCO, Bhupendra Singh Punia accompanied them to Rourkela.
The team inspected the under-construction Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium at the BPUT campus in Rourkela. Construction of both the main stadium and practice ground has been completed. License for the game has been granted following inspection of both pitches and high mast lights of the stadium.
It is noteworthy that 20 matches of the Men’s Hockey World Cup will be played in Raurkela. The first match will be held on January 13 between India and Spain. Before this, three practice matches will be played from December 24. If any defects are found during these practice matches, steps will be taken to strengthen the infrastructure. Mohapatra also expressed hope that Rourkela airport has been completed and the necessary licenses will be obtained soon.
Under the UDAN scheme, four flights will be available for the players. Such a world-class stadium has been built within a year. The Chief Secretary and Secretary to CM (5T) thanked the people of Sundergarh and Raurkela for providing all the support to the state government for this.
For the first time, Hockey World Cup will be played at Rourkela. Several spectators from the state and outside will visit Rourkela to watch the hockey matches. Therefore, modern parking is being constructed around the stadium to accommodate the vehicles of the spectators. Apart from that, arrangements for the provision of drinking water and toilets inside the stadium are being made. Arrangements are being made to install LEDs at various places for the spectators who will be outside the stadium.
During the team’s visit, Sundargarh Collector Parag Harshad Gavali, , Rourkela ADM and Commissioner Rourkela Municipal Corporation Subhankar Mohapatra, and other senior officials of the district administration and Rourkela Municipal Corporation were present.
Worth mentioning that the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023 will be played in Odisha. The World Cup will be held at Bhubaneswar’s Kalinga Stadium and at the under-construction Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium in Rourkela. It is going to be India’s largest hockey stadium. More than 20,000 spectators can sit and enjoy the game at the same time in this stadium.
