SAMBALPUR: The seating capacity at Veer Surendra Sai (VSS) stadium here will be increased to 21,000. A new gallery, with a capacity to accommodate 4,000 spectators, will be constructed in the stadium soon. The facility at present has six galleries with combined seating capacity of 17,000. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had announced a grant of Rs 3 crore to develop the stadium during his visit to the city on February 1 this year. The project will be implemented with the funds which have already been sanctioned.
Secretary of District Athletic Association (DAA), Sambalpur Dulal Chandra Pradhan said apart from the gallery, a 100-bed dormitory will be constructed below the new gallery. The press room and pavilion of the stadium will also be renovated. The design of the upcoming facilities has already been prepared by an architect deputed by the Sports and Youth Services department.
The tender for the work, to be executed by Public Works Department (PWD), will be floated shortly. If everything goes as per plan, work on the facilities will begin by the end of December this year and completed within six months.
VSS stadium, one of the prominent sports facilities of western Odisha, has hosted several Ranji Trophy and Deodhar Trophy cricket matches. Several international cricketers like Vinod Kambli, Virender Sehwag, Ashish Nehra, Gautam Gambhir and Ravichandran Ashwin have played at the stadium.