Maharaja’s college hockey ground in Kochi awaits a facelift

The historic Olympic bronze medal win by the Indian hockey team and the outstanding performance of its star goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh seem to have revived hopes of giving a facelift to the unkempt hockey ground of Maharaja’s College, Ernakulam.

The waterlogged ground filled with overgrown grass has been in a state of neglect for long. Young talents dreaming of making it big in the sport were left to grope in the dark thanks to the poor state of the ground.

“We are planning to submit a proposal to the government to elevate the existing ground into an international-level hockey turf. The idea is to develop a hockey hub that offers a platform for budding talents to nurture their skills,” said N. Ramakanthan, chairman of the college governing council.

The once vibrant ground hit a bad patch after 16.5 cents were handed over to Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) for constructing the Maharaja’s College Ground station. The total land value was estimated at ₹8.8 crore. “However, the college did not receive the money, as the metro rail authorities took a position that compensation could not be given for government land,” said Prof. Ramakanthan.

But T. Jayachandran, member of the college development council, recalled a Government Order issued on March 24, 2014, asking the college principal to deposit the ₹8.8 crore to be received as land value for the 16.5 cents taken over from the college for the metro rail project.

“The college had worked out a proposal to utilise the money for elevating the existing hockey ground into an international-level facility at an estimated cost of ₹2.5 to ₹3 crore. The remaining amount was earmarked for the construction of ladies’ hostel and renovation of men’s hostel,” he said. The plans did not materialise, as the college never received compensation for the land.

Prof. Ramakanthan said the college governing council was hopeful of setting up a new hockey turf. “The working group meeting of the Higher Education Department held last month had approved a proposal to the tune of ₹6.9 crore for the construction of synthetic track at the ground,” he added.