By TAZEEN QURESHY

The hockey stadium in Rourkela town in Odisha, which is being touted to be the largest hockey stadium in India, will be constructed in a record one year. Along with Bhubaneswar, Rourkela will be co-hosting the Hockey World Cup 2023.

On Monday, a high level team of officials of the Odisha Government including Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mohapatra and 5T Secretary VK Pandian visited the proposed site for a recce.

The stadium will be constructed within one year.

“A detailed layout of the stadium including parking spaces, visitors’ entry and exit points, players’ accommodation will be prepared soon. We will be sharing the feedback from our visit also. After the design is approved, the work will start in three to four month time. We will try to complete the stadium within a record one year,” said Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mohapatra.

Earlier, FIH President Narinder Dhruv Batra along with a delegation of Hockey India officials had visited Rourkela to review the preparations. Soon after Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had announced the construction of the largest hockey stadium in the city.

The new stadium will be constructed inside the campus of Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT).

“There is about 150 acres of space available. However, the stadium will be developed in a corner and needs about 10 to 15 acres of land. More details will be available once the layout is prepared,” the Chief Secretary added.

After the Hockey World Cup, the stadium will be utilised by the State Sports Department to nurture young hockey talents from the area.