West Bengal to allot space for developing sports in state

KOLKATA: West Bengal government is all set to host more sporting events in the state and open about the idea of allotting plots for a new cricket stadium, football academy and an indoor stadium.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee said at the Khel Ratna Samman ceremony that they are willing to give land in Rajarhat to CAB for them to develop a stadium dedicated to cricket only,

“Eden Gardens is not enough. With another stadium we will be able to host more sporting events,” she said adding that ISL franchisee Atletico de Kolkata (ATK) has expressed a desire to establish a football academy in the city for which they are giving them some land to them in Dumdum.

The state government has also set aside a 20 acre plot to set up a new indoor stadium at Rajarhat with a capacity of 20,000 people.

Banerjee also mentioned that she was looking at help from the corporate sector to support the sports village that will be developed in Jalpaiguri, to run it on a PPP model.

“We have made the infrastructure and now if the corporates run it we are ready to extend all co-operation. They can take over and run this,” Banerjee said.

“A committee with experts and corporates will identify which sports needs to be promoted and in what way. We want to nurture talent,” she said. In all, there would be 26 new stadiums coming up across Bengal.