The state cabinet increased the project cost from 432.454cr to 875.78cr for the development of the sports infrastructure for these two stadiums.
The Naveen Patnai-led administration on Thursday authorised revised budget for the construction of the two stadiums in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela where the men’s hockey world cup is set to take place from January 13–29 of next year.
The event, which will include 16 nations, including India, will take place at the 20,000-seat Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela and the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.
Odisha will serve as the host nation for the men’s hockey World Cup for the second time since 2018.
Under the “State Level Sports Infrastructure Development Project,” the state cabinet increased the project cost for building the sports infrastructure of these two stadiums from 432.454cr to 875.78cr.
“After the project was started, the design and safety requirements were upgraded to make the structures disaster resilient based on the site conditions and technical review by specialists, including IIT Bombay. This improvement affected the quantity of structural parts. In order to bring the facilities up to the level of the worldwide standards and enable the organisation of world-level events, some of the best practises, goods, and equipment were implemented based on technical conversations with the national and international sports federations. According to the cabinet statement, these facilities would enable athletes to receive the greatest possible training to excel at the world level.
“After the project was started, the design and safety requirements were upgraded to make the structures disaster resilient based on the site conditions and technical review by specialists, including IIT Bombay. This improvement affected the quantity of structural parts. In order to bring the facilities up to the level of the worldwide standards and enable the organisation of world-level events, some of the best practises, goods, and equipment were implemented based on technical conversations with the national and international sports federations. According to the cabinet statement, these facilities would enable athletes to receive the greatest possible training to excel at the world level.
The cost increase was also brought on by rising prices for steel, petroleum goods, aluminium, and the GST from 12 to 18%.
The state cabinet approved funding of 562.58cr from budgetary allocation of state government, divided over 3 financial years beginning in 2020–21, out of the revised project completion cost.
District Mineral Foundation Sundargarh, the Odisha Sports Development Fund, and corporate social responsibility funds will cover the remaining sum.
The first indoor athletic stadium in South Asia will be located in the Kalinga stadium, allowing athletes to train all year round.
A cutting-edge aquatic facility capable of hosting swimming competitions on a national and international scale will also be part of the Kalinga sports complex.
A significant centre for national athletic events is steadily emerging in Odisha.
The 2018 Hockey World Cup was successfully held in Bhubaneswar in December by the state.
Odisha made headlines in worldwide sports organisations in July 2017 as the state government hosted the 22nd Asian Athletics Championship, which featured more than 560 participants from 41 nations.
The 21st Commonwealth Table Tennis Championship was held there in 2019 at the Jawaharlal Indoor Stadium in Cuttack.
Prasanta Patnaik