Indranil Khan, the minister of state (independent charge) for sports, youth affairs, and consumer affairs, announced on Saturday that the Kanchanjunga Stadium in Siliguri would be upgraded into an international-standard sports facility.
He also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthening sports infrastructure across north Bengal by providing promising athletes with better training facilities and support.
Khan, who inspected the stadium, expressed concern over its poor maintenance and lack of basic amenities.
“I was told that the stadium was maintained by the Siliguri Municipal Corporation. But in reality, hardly any work has been done for its upkeep. Weeds have overgrown the premises, the floodlights are still operated using generators, and, most shockingly, there are no washrooms for the players. We will improve the condition of the stadium and transform it into an international-standard sports complex equipped with all necessary facilities,” he said.
Spread across seven acres in the heart of Siliguri, the stadium has a seating capacity of around 27,000.
Once regarded as one of the finest sports venues in eastern India— particularly for football — it was second only to the Yuva Bharati Krirangan (Salt Lake Stadium) in Calcutta.
The state sports department took over the stadium in September 2021 through an ordinance. However, in April 2022, its management was handed back to the Trinamool-led Siliguri Municipal Corporation, which subsequently announced a ₹10 crore renovation project as part of the first phase of its redevelopment plan.
Khan accused the previous government of neglecting both sports infrastructure and athlete welfare.
“The previous government failed to develop sports infrastructure and also deprived talented players of the support they deserved. I will visit the other districts of north Bengal and take all necessary steps to upgrade sports infrastructure there as well,” the minister added.
After completing his visit to Siliguri, the minister was scheduled to leave for Darjeeling later in the evening.
He is expected to hold similar review meetings in the hill town on Sunday as part of his tour of the region’s sports facilities, sources said.