Relaying of the new synthetic track at JRD Tata Sports Complex in Jamshedpur went off the blocks on Thursday with Tata Steel MD T.V. Narendran launching the process ceremonially.
The 400m track is expected to be in place in a month's time, though the Tatas were eyeing September 2 as a possible completion date.
"The new track will be helpful for residents and company employees. We are hopeful of conducting stepathlon - a virtual race designed to create a global health revolution among corporate professionals - on September 2. But a lot depends on the rains," Narendran said after he started the process by dropping black runner granules from a funnel in the afternoon.
Tata Steel president (steel and total quality management) Anand Sen, vice-president (corporate services) Suni Bhaskaran, chief of company's sports department Farzan Heerjee, head Charles Borromeo, functionaries of Tata Union and sports trainees were present on the occasion.
Narendran did not spell out immediate plans to organise a big-ticket athletics event once the track was relaid.
Presently, layers of bitumen were spread over the surface. Glue, polyurethane, black and red rubber imported from the US and Germany would be applied on the Rs 4-crore track.
A four-member technical team from Malaysia were in Jamshedpur to complete the work which was being executed by New-Delhi-based vendor Advance Sports Technologies.
K. Devdas, who has been sent by Athletics Federation of India to oversee technical aspects, told The Telegraph that it would take at least a month's time for the relaying process to be completed.
“It’s a time-taking job. I have also suggested some changes like shifting the pole vault, high and long jump and shot put areas. I will visit Jamshedpur again when the relaying process is in the final stages,” Chennai-based Devdas said.
Tata Steel was optimistic that the work would be completed by July 29, the birth anniversary of JRD Tata. But, several factors, mainly the rain, delayed the relaying process.
The 400-metre track, first laid at the JRD Tata Sports Complex in 1993, was upgraded to international standards in 2003. The last mega event that the sports hub hosted was the 47th Open National Athletics Championship (ONAC) in 2007.
Later, Narendran felicitated the city’s special athletes, Gurvir Kaur, Mamun Rashid, Nurul Hassan, Anurag Chakraborty, Tejender Singh, Md Abdul Saquib Ali, Md Sajid and Md Shaban, all of whom represented the country in the July-August Special Olympics World Summer Games in Los Angeles and won seven medals.
Special Olympics president Sunil Bhaskaran and area director Bailey Bodhanwala were also present besides Awtar Singh and his wife Sukhbir Kaur, founders of NGO Jeevika.
