New cricket stadium planned for Berhampur

Barracks Stadium, Berhampur

The Ganjam District Cricket Association has taken steps to construct a cricket stadium, a training centre for children and four turf pitches in Berhampur. “This year, we are going to celebrate the association’s silver jubilee and our priority is to build a stadium exclusively for cricket,” said president of the association Ramesh Patra, who was elected unanimously for another four-year term this month. The association will build turf pitches at four places — Khallikote College, Berhampur Stadium (Barracks), MKCG Medical College and Hospital playground in Silk City and Sanjaya Memorial Institute of Technology at Ankuspur, located near Berhampur — for the benefit of aspiring cricketers. The cricket association would soon sign a MoU with the authorities concerned to build the turf pitch, Patra said. Patra said that though a turf pitch at Barracks Stadium  in Berhampur was built last year for the budding cricket players of Ganjam, it was damaged about a fortnight later because an athletics meet was held at the same venue. The district administration must take steps to preserve and look after the pitch until a stadium meant exclusively for cricket was built, he said. 

“The association proposed to set up a stadium and academy over 18 acres at Aruapalli near Berhampur. It will also provide a sophisticated bowling machine for the young players,” Patra said. “The bowling machine will help young players of the district to improve their bowling, batting and fielding skills. Youngsters can practise even during the off season once the machine is installed here,” he said. 

“The association is taking steps to organise national events, including the Duleep Trophy, Deodhar Trophy and Ranji Trophy matches at Berhampur,” said Patra. There will be a permanent coach of the Sports Authority of India in Ganjam by next June. Anup Patra, vice-president of the Odisha Cricket Association, said the body had now decided to set up an academy and a turf pitch in every district of the state. Ajit Kumar Mishra, sub-collector, Berhampur, said the district administration would ink an agreement with the association to construct a turf pitch at Berhampur Stadium.

Source: The Telegraph

20 years into construction, Berhampur Barracks stadium is still incomplete

BERHAMPUR: Two decades have passed since construction of Berhampur stadium began at the Barracks Ground in Berhampur City. The work, however, is far from over due to delay in identifying a patch of land that would be handed over to the Defence Ministry and payment of Rs 88 lakh by the State Government.
A portion of the land in the Barracks Ground that would be used for the stadium is under the possession of the Defence Ministry. The State Government has to hand over another piece of land to them in lieu of Barracks Ground. The Ministry owns 9.183 acres, housing residential quarters for the NCC officials, of the total 17.68 acres earmarked for the stadium-cum-sports complex.
In September 2005, the Defence Ministry agreed to vacate the land in lieu of another piece of land within Berhampur and payment of Rs 88 lakh for relocation. The State Government had agreed to provide 9.183 acres of land to the Ministry at Ambapua area of the city. However, it approached the Ministry seeking exemption from the payment of Rs 88 lakh. The latter, though, kept mum over the issue. Meanwhile, the Defence Ministry constructed a polyclinic for ex-servicemen on the Barracks Ground.
Berhampur Development Authority (BDA) chairman Sarat Ranjan Patnaik said that the Ministry had not sought any approval from the BDA for the polyclinic. “With none taking the initiative for the land transfer, the Berhampur stadium might go into oblivion,” said Prafulla Jagananth Padhi, founder office-bearer of Ganjam District Athletic Association.

Courtesy: The New Indian Express