By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR/CUTTACK: Odisha Chief Minister on Tuesday announced redevelopment of historic Barabati Cricket Stadium and laid foundation stone for redevelopment of VSS Cricket Stadium in Sambalpur. Chief Minster Patnaik said Barabati Stadium will be redeveloped into world-class sports complex with all modern facilities, in partnership with Board of Control for Cricket in India(BCCI)) , Odisha Cricket Association and Corporate Houses.
Sports Minister Tusharkanti Behera, Sports Secretary R Vineel Krishna, 5T Secretary VK Pandian, former Indian Player Irfan Pathan, Debasish Mohanty, OCA President Pranab Prakash Das, OCA Vice President Pankaj Lochan Mohanty, OCA Secretary Sanjay Behera, OOA President Ashirbad Behera, Arun Singh Dhumal (Chairman, IPL GC) and others were among those present.
Considering legacy of the stadium, the iconic clock tower will be conserved as a heritage structure.Chief Minister Patnaik also inaugurated cricket facilities at Berhampur Sports Complex, Shree Jagannath Cricket Stadium & Women’s Cricket Academy at #Puri, Sports Complex at Jajpur, Cricket Ground at Jharsuguda, and 41 cricket academies developed across state by OCA.
He announced that the stadium in Berhampur will be named Mahatma Gandhi Cricket Stadium, in memory of Gandhiji’s visit to this place during the Freedom movement. VSS stadium in Sambalpur will be expanded and developed with best cricket facilities for cricketers in the region.
He also announced that an Integrated Sports complex will be created at Sitalapalli, Berhampur which will include facilities for athletics, football, cricket, indoor stadium etc. to cater to needs of sportspersons in the region. The Chief Minister inaugurated Ganjam Weightlifting Academy along with 200-seated hostel making it the largest weightlifting training facility in India. He said it’s a tribute to the popularity of weightlifting in #Ganjam, which has produced so many weightlifters.
Several sports infra projects in Jajpur namely Kusuma Complex Swimming Pool, Hockey Training Centre, a multipurpose indoor stadium, athletic track, football ground etc were also inaugurated. Foundation stone was laid for Rugby ground and cricket grounds along with the hostel. On this occasion, CM also laid foundation stone for Integrated Sports Complexes at Bargarh and Dhenkanal, which includes various facilities like athletic tracks, swimming pools, football grounds, cricket ground etc.
CM said focus on cricket by Odisha Government and OCA will help in creating a good ecosystem for emergence of champions from the state in the coming years. He further said that sports is a priority area for the government to enable youth empowerment and Odisha is now recognised as a major destination for sports in the country. He hoped that all the sports infrastructure and training facilities being created will attract more children towards sports.
