Patrapada: A mini stadium, proposed by the state government on a 10.5 acre piece of land at Tamando on the outskirts of the Capital City, has been hanging fire for over a year, thanks to the apathy of the authorities concerned.
The state government has set aside around 10.5 acre of land (Khata No 298, Plot No 630/1441/1464, 409/1463, 373/1462) in Bijipur Mouza near Sanikat under Tamando police limits in Bhubaneswar tehsil for a state-of-the-art mini stadium, sources said.
Accordingly, Bhubaneswar block authorities had invited tender for the proposed mini stadium at an estimated cost of Rs 25 lakh in July last year.
When the compound wall construction was in full swing, a few politically affiliated individuals opposed it, alleging that the boundary wall would leave no space for road. By that time, three sides of the wall had already been completed.
Following the allegations, authorities stopped the boundary wall construction and in a bid to assuage locals’ feelings, they proposed re-measurement of land by tehsil officials. However, after taking the measurements, they had confirmed the construction being carried out on the plot was within limits and asked the block authorities to resume the construction.
However, the deterrents approached Khurda collector for leaving adequate space for a wide road. Taking note of it, Khurda collector directed (vide letter No 3056/29/2016) Bhubaneswar sub-collector for a ground investigation.
An official team comprising sub-collector, block development officer (BDO) and an assistant engineer took stock of the situation and held discussions with individuals opposing the construction. Subsequently, the team reported the outcome of their talks to the collector (vide letter no 8746 dated 7/11/16).
Highly placed sources said the report has asserted that northern and western sides of the plot have been encroached upon. While the team suggested for leaving 25 feet patch for a wide road, the collector asked the district administration to take immediate steps for removing encroachments. The BDO has also instructed the block assistant engineer (vide letter no 4888 dated 25/11/16) to resume work on the stadium, sources added.
Even after eight months, the authorities are yet to remove the encroachments and resume the construction work, it is alleged.
Members of Shiva Shakti Club have attributed the delay to tough pressure from heavy weights and departmental callousness. “Procedural wrangles and departmental lethargy has been hindering the construction of the mini stadium,” Ramachandra Swain, a member of the club, said.
Expressing concern, local youths have asserted that the haphazard work has been creating problems for organising many sports events. “Due to the delayed construction work, we had to defer many key events like State-Level Tamando Cup Football Tournament,” they said.
When asked, BDO Rashmi Ranjan Sahu said, “Around 75 per cent of the compound wall has been completed. But the remaining portion could not be completed due to the clash over encroachment. We will expedite the construction once the revenue department razes the encroachments.”
Bhubaneswar tehsildar Ashutosh Samal said they would take requisite action to remove encroachments after directives from the authorities concerned.
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