Major facelift of Barabati stadium on the cards

A piece of good news for sports lovers and cricketers. The Barabati stadium in Cuttack will go through a major facelift soon. A proposal to this effect was approved at the annual general body meeting of the Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) held on Sunday. 

The existing galleries will be dismantled and replaced with new ones and various other renovation works will be carried out, sources said. 

“As per the decision of the OCA, a sub-committee will be formed to draw up a detailed project report. The state government will be intimated about the proposal. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will also be communicated about it,” OCA secretary, Sanjay Behera said.

He also added that the renovation of the Barabati stadium will be carried out with the help of the state government and the BCCI.

It was learned that the lease term of the land on which the Barabati Stadium is set up has come to an end. The stadium is under the Odisha Olympic Association. At the meeting, members of the OCA raised the demand to renew the lease of the land in the name of the Odisha Olympic Association and the Odisha Cricket Association. 

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Addressing a presser after the meeting, OCA secretary Sanjay Behera said, "The stadium was built in 1950. Many galleries are in unsafe condition. Over 50 years have passed and the stadium requires renovation. Either we have to completely dismantle it or the existing structure has to be renovated or a new stadium will have to be set up somewhere else. A decision was taken to renovate the Barabati Stadium.”

On the other hand, the OCA is planning to promote sports at the grassroots level by organizing inter-school, club, and college tournaments in the stadium.