Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said on Tuesday that redevelopment of the historic Barabati Cricket Stadium in Cuttack and laid foundation stone for the redevelopment of the VSS cricket stadium in Sambalpur.

Patnaik added that the Barabati Stadium will be redeveloped into a world-class sports complex with all the modern facilities in partnership with BCCI, Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) and corporates.

At the same time, considering the legacy of the stadium, the iconic clock tower will be conserved as a heritage structure.

The Chief Minister also said that the VSS stadium in Sambalpur will be expanded and developed with the best cricket facilities for the cricketers in the region.

Patnaik also inaugurated cricket facilities at the Berhampur Sports Complex; Shree Jagannath Cricket Stadium and Women’s Cricket Academy, Puri; Sports Complex, Jajpur; Cricket Ground, Jharsuguda, and 41 cricket academies developed across the state by OCA.

He announced that the stadium in Berhampur will be named as Mahatma Gandhi Cricket Stadium in memory of Gandhiji’s visit to this place during the freedom movement.

“The focus on cricket by the state government and OCA, will help in creating a good ecosystem for emergence of champions from the state in the coming years. Sports is a priority area for the government to enable youth empowerment and Odisha is now recognised as a major destination for sports in the country. All the sports infrastructure and training facilities being created will attract more children towards sports,” the Chief Minister said.

The government will also create an integrated sports complex at Sitalapalli, Berhampur, which will include facilities for athletics, football, cricket, indoor stadium etc to cater to the needs of the sportspersons in the region.

Patnaik also inaugurated the Ganjam Weightlifting Academy along with the 200-seated hostel making it the largest weightlifting training facility in the country.

The Chief Minister on Tuesday also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of several other sports infrastructure projects across the state.