The Odisha government stepped up efforts to strengthen sports infrastructure by building 89 indoor stadiums which can be used as hospitals during health emergencies and shelters during natural disasters.
The Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik approved the proposal at an estimated cost of . ₹693.35 crore.
“The Odisha government has been focusing on the steady development of the sports sector. During the past few years, the State has become a major centre for organisation of sports events. As per 5T (team work, technology, transparency, transformation and time limit) action plan, the transformation in the sector has been thought of,” said Tusharkanti Behera, Sports and Youth Services Minister.
Mr. Behera said the action plan for strengthening sports infrastructure had been prepared in consultation with people’s representatives and sportspersons.
The indoor stadiums would be constructed at places where modern sports infrastructure is not available. All these stadiums to be christened as Biju Patnaik Indoor Stadium will come up within next 18 months.
The indoor stadium will have training facilities for badminton, table tennis and weight lifting while gyms will be integral feature. They can also be used for other popular indoor games of the respective region.
The structures would have multi-purpose use. They would be built to withstand 200-km wind speed. During disasters like floods and cyclones, they can be used as shelter homes.
During health pandemics, the indoor stadiums at Notified Area Council areas can be converted into 50-bed hospitals while in municipalities, they can be easily used as 100-bed hospitals, said the Minister. Besides, the indoor stadiums can also be used for training, examination centres and small meetings.
In recent years, the government has built a world-class hockey stadium in Bhubaneswar. It is in the process of constructing the country’s largest hockey stadium in Rourkela. The government has planned astro-turfs for hockey development. Besides, high performance centres for focused skill development in various sports disciplines and injury prevention have been set up in Bhubaneswar.
The Cabinet has also approved the lowest turnkey tender of TATA Projects Limited amounting ₹331.28 crore for the execution of Shree Mandir Parikrama Project in Puri under Augmentation of Basic Amenities and Development of Heritage and Architecture (ABADHA) scheme.