1,200 employees, 24×7 shifts, hundreds of kroner: Rourkela put hockey in the World Cup

For two years thereafter, more than 1,200 migrant workers, many from Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal, worked around the clock in three shifts to build the stadium. And less than three weeks before the first match, the magnificent saucer-shaped steel structure, which seats around 21,000, stands tall on more than 16 acres.

A total of 20 matches will be played at the new stadium named after freedom fighter and tribal icon Birsa Munda.

The prime minister is expected to inaugurate the building, the largest hockey stadium in the country, in early January. Along with the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, it will host the World Cup from 13-29. January. A total of 20 matches will be played at the new stadium named after freedom fighter and tribal icon Birsa Munda.

At the stadium site, employees continue to work around the clock to put things together. Although the work on the stadium has already been completed and the ground was used for a practice match between the junior teams of India and South Korea, aluminum facades and glass windows and other structural works have been carried out using large cranes. Some other workers raced against time to complete roads, lawns, parking lots and other ancillary works related to the stadium facilities.

Sabarish, project manager at the site, said they built the stadium in just 15 months when they started work in August 2021.

When we started, the piece of land was a jungle with thousands of large trees and bushes, which has now been turned into the largest stadium in the country. We faced several difficulties while doing work according to the Covid regulations. Transportation of materials, especially steel transported from Bhilai and synthetic turf imported from Germany, was also a challenge, Sabarish said.

A total of 20 matches will be played at the new stadium named after freedom fighter and tribal icon Birsa Munda.

Monsoon rains also affected the work for several months.

About 3,600 tons of structural steel and 4,000 tons of TMT steel were used to build the stadium. Every seat is designed to offer an unobstructed view and the spectators are closer to the field than in any other hockey stadium in the world, claimed the engineer who did not want to be named.

The state BJD government has not given an official figure for the amount spent on the construction of the stadium in Rourkela. Sports Minister Tusharkanti Behera, in a written reply on November 24, said that a total of Rs 875 crore has been spent on the construction of the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium and the renovation of the Kalinga Stadium. According to the official, more than 500 million rupees have been spent on the construction of the new stadium.

Unlike other cities, players do not have to travel much in Rourkela during the event as their accommodation, practice ground, main stadium, swimming pool and gym are in close proximity. The new airport is also next to the stadium.

Keeping in mind the constraints of the steel city’s hospitality industry, the Odisha government has developed 225 four-star rooms, the management of which has been handed over to the Taj Group during the tournament. More than 84 million rubles have been spent on the development of accommodation for players, support staff and officials.

Out of 225 rooms, we have already completed and handed over 150 rooms to the Taj Group. The remaining 75 rooms will be completed by the end of this month. The accommodation can serve the needs of at least eight teams at a time. A swimming pool and a state-of-the-art gym for the players are also ready, said Bhupendra Singh Poonia, managing director of state-owned Idco, which is overseeing the development of the stadium and accommodation facilities in Rourkela.

The Sundargarh district administration has also booked over 100 rooms in various government guest houses in the city to be used during the tournament. The personnel facilities of the Biju Patnaik Institute of Technology have also been renovated into temporary accommodation facilities.

Stadium construction site. (Express file image)

The Steel City also has about 60 small and large hotels with about 1,500 rooms, which the administration says can be used by visitors and relatives of players who come to watch their teams in action.

As a significant improvement of connections to Rourkela before the Ice Hockey World Championships, the Directorate General of Aviation has granted Rourkela Airport a permit for public use. Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL), which owns the airport, has reportedly been given permission to operate 72-seater aircraft.

View from the construction site (Express Photo/File)

Subhankar Mohapatra, Additional District Magistrate, Rourkela, said the players will be flown directly to the city on chartered flights chartered by the state government. For public use, Alliance Air will tentatively start commercial operations from Bhubaneswar to Rourkela in the first week of January, he said.

The administration has also planned to start a shuttle service for flyers to the nearest Jharsuguda airport, which is a 2.5-hour drive from Rourkela.

Rourkela, Odisha’s second smart city after Bhubaneswar, has undergone a massive transformation with wider roads, renewed pavement, lighting, improved drainage, renovated parks and fountains, gardens and sanitation works.

Panposh Sports Hostel (Express Photo/File)

To strengthen city traffic during the event, the state government will deploy a fleet of 25 buses under the city bus project.

The security system and traffic management have been strengthened in the city with the installation of CCTV. Sculptures and artworks on the main roads of the city also add color to the beautification of the city, while almost every wall shines with colorful murals of hockey legends, mythological characters and prominent Odia personalities among others.

All this work was done with funding from the Smart City Mission, Mahapatra said. However, the locals are concerned about its maintenance after the event is over. We see the change on the ground with several projects initiated by the administration. But the challenge is to maintain these projects after the World Cup, said city resident Arabinda Patra.