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| Fresh innings: Jaipal Singh Stadium, Ranchi |
Wild grass, garbage mounds and a broken-down boundary wall may not define Jaipal Singh Stadium, Ranchi, any more.
The much-delayed plan to revamp the 35-year old stadium gained pace as Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) on Monday issued a work order to a capital firm, asking it to turn the dilapidated campus into a state-of-the-art mini sports complex in one year.
The proposed revamp, including new infrastructure and repairs, will cost Rs 3.28 crore.
According to plan, the stadium will have new courts for lawn tennis, badminton, volleyball and basketball as well as a gym and joggers’ strip. These apart, spectator galleries will be built and the damaged boundary wall and administrative building repaired.
Chief executive officer of RMC Dipankar Panda said Yashasvi Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd won the project through an open tender. “In a day or so, we will sign an agreement with them to start work,” he said.
RMC will also host the project’s foundation stone laying ceremony, but the date hasn’t been finalised. “We want to invite the governor and his advisors,” said an RMC official.
Built in 1978, the stadium suffered neglect for decades. In 2007, then urban development minister Raghubar Das proposed a shopping complex at the site, an idea most residents found unpalatable. The matter ended in court when councillors opposed the move.