BHUBANESWAR 29-Aug-2010 138
All-time Orissa sports great Dilip Tirkey ended his boycott of Kalinga Stadium today, three months after taking such a step in protest against the ill-treatment meted out to him and fellow sportspersons by Prasant Sahu, the then in-charge of the biggest stadium of the city and the state.
‘‘I will not enter Kalinga Stadium until the completion of construction of the hockey stadium there,’’ the former India captain had announced earlier on May 29. Taking prompt action, the state government suspended the stadium in-charge and stepped up the the construction work of the proposed hockey stadium.
‘‘Today I went to Kalinga Stadium to see the progress of the construction work. Sports Minister Praveen Chandra Bhanjadeo, stadium in-charge Kumar Ranjan Panda and officials of IDCO, the construction agency, were present on the occasion,’’ said Tirkey, one of the all-time great defenders of the game.
‘‘The minister told the officials to expedite the work further. But it may take eight more months for the completion of the project,’’ he admitted. Padmashree Tirkey, however, felt happy for his return to Kalinga Stadium and expressed confidence that Bhubaneswar would be an international hockey destination after the completion of the stadium project.
The construction of the 30,000 capacity stadium has so far delivered two spectator stands and the boundary wall. Levelling of the playing arena and laying of an artificial turf remain to be completed. According to the new stadium in-charge Panda, the minister also inspected the construction work the proposed women’s sports hostel and ordered the concerned authorities to speed up the work.
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PHOTO: Dilip Tikey (Centre) with Sports Minister PC Bhanjadeo (Left) and Kalinga Stadium in-charge Kumar Ranjan Panda in Bhubaneswar on August 29, 2010.
