Odisha CM lays foundation stone of India's largest hockey stadium in Rourkela

The spectators will be closer to the pitch than at any other hockey stadium in the world.

Published on: Feb 16, 2021, 21:31:35 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty, Bhubaneswar

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Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday laid the foundation stone of India's largest hockey stadium in the steel city of Rourkela that would be finished on time before the next edition of men's Hockey World Cup in 2023.

Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik also inaugurated developmental works through the video conferencing. (ANI)

Patnaik, who flew to Rourkela city in the tribal-dominated Sundargarh district, announced that the proposed international hockey stadium, with a seating capacity of more than 20,000 people, would be named after freedom fighter Birsa Munda.

"It would be the most modern field hockey facility in India. The stadium will be a new benchmark in global stadium design for hockey, offering one of the finest spectator experiences in the world," said Patnaik, who also launched various infrastructure development projects worth ₹4,915 crore in the district during his stay in Rourkela.

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The stadium will be a model of green, functional, cost-effective design. Designed to deliver the best match-day atmospheres in the world, each seat will have uninterrupted sightlines and the spectators will be closer to the pitch than at any other hockey stadium in the world, said state officials. The stadium would be completed within a year and would host matches of 2023 Hockey World Cup along with the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.

In 2018, Odisha hosted the Men’s Hockey World Cup in Bhubaneswar's Kalinga stadium in which Belgium emerged as the champion after beating the Netherlands in the finals. India finished sixth in final ranking after getting eliminated in the quarterfinals. In 2014, Odisha hosted men's Hockey Champions Trophy.

CM Patnaik, who laid foundation stones of 17 hockey astroturfs last year in as many blocks of the Sundargarh district, said hockey is the identity of Sundergarh. "The hockey players of Sundergarh have earned fame for the nation. Hockey spirit is in the air and water of Sundergarh,” he said.

The chief minister's largesse for the tribal-dominated district Sundargarh fits with the BJD's gameplan of strengthening its base in the tribal area where the party has lost its popularity since the 2017 panchayat polls. Of the 35 zilla parishad seats, the party won 14 seats in 2017 panchayat polls and won just 2 MLA seats in 2019 Assembly polls. Its main rival, the BJP, won the MP seat as well as two Assembly seats. The BJP also won the Sundargarh zilla parishad polls in 2017.

Ahead of Tuesday's visit, the party had dispatched 90 MLAs and 17 ministers to Rourkela deploying them in almost all gram panchayats and asking them to show Patnaik's speech through giant LCD screens.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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