OCA elects Pankaj Lochan Mohanty as new president; permanent generators, modernisation of Barabati Stadium soon

The Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) has elected Pankaj Lochan Mohanty as its new president. While the cricket board has yet to make the announcement official, sources reported that Mohanty has already assumed the role and began functioning as the acting president.

According to reports, former OCA president Pranab Prakash Das recently resigned, leaving the post vacant. Mohanty was the only candidate to file a nomination for the post, which led to his uncontested victory.

Notably, Pankaj Lochan Mohanty will serve as OCA president only until the end of his predecessor's tenure, Pranab Das. Following this, a fresh election for a full-term president will be conducted in October of this year.

Meanwhile, Mohanty has taken up active efforts to ensure the modernization of the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack and ensure infrastructural readiness, especially regarding the floodlights.

In his interaction with OTV, the new acting president confirmed that two permanent generators, one functional and one backup, will be installed for each of the six floodlights at the stadium and an additional four generators will be kept on standby at all times.

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The task to install the proposed total number of 16 permanent generators comes after one of the floodlights blacked out during the India-England ODI here on February 9, leading to a temporary halt in play and widespread uproar.

“The Cuttack Collector has taken stock of the situation and now every floodlight will have two generators at all times to ensure uninterrupted power supply. At the moment, we have rented generators but they will soon be replaced with permanent ones,” said Mohanty.

He also added that the OCA is in talks with the state government regarding the complete modernisation of the Barabati Stadium. “The state government is positive about developing and renovating the stadium and will soon state its plans for the same,” added Pankaj Lochan Mohanty.

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The remarks came as the Barabti Stadium stands set to host two matches of the Celebrity Cricket League (CCL) today with Punjab De Sher vs Bhojpuri Dabanggs and Mumbai Heroes vs Bengal Tigers on the schedule.