Biju Patnaik Stadium in Kendrapara. Telegraph picture

Kendrapara, July 17: The move to convert the sprawling multipurpose stadium on nine acres at Saranga into a police barrack has triggered a row.

With no sporting activity taking place, local people have taken unauthorised occupation of it hoarding household goods on the stadium ground. Lying abandoned since it became operational half-a-decade ago, absence of periodic maintenance has taken a toll on it.

“The stadium is disadvantageously located. As a result, sporting activities are not being organised here. There are reports of unauthorised use of the stadium. To stop it, the administration has decided to provide accommodation to police forces in the stadium complex. The stationing of police forces will curb the acts of trespass,” said Kendrapara collector Niranjan Nayak.

However, sports lovers are describing it as an arbitrary step. “The administration ought to have set the stadium in order. The deficiencies such as poor connectivity to the place and absence of proper set-up need to be addressed. The administration should come forward to organise sports and athletic events for better use of the complex,” said the District Athletics’ Association member Bijoy Kumar Das.

The administration is also not within its right to provide shelter to the policemen inside the stadium.

It is unlawful keeping in view the fact that the Supreme Court has ruled that no sports complex or stadium owned or run by the government can be used for non-sporting activity, he said.

“It’s a classic case of how government funds go down the drain. The stadium was inaugurated with much fanfare in 2006. It had instilled great hopes in budding talents. Ironically, it is of no use to the sportspersons,” said local resident Debdas Mohanty.

“The sorry state of affairs of the largest stadium in the district bears testimony to the fact that sporting activity features last in the list of priorities of the government agencies,” said Das.

The foundation stone of the stadium was laid on October 5, 1993. It took 13 years for the government officials to complete it for Rs 1 crore. Though the complex was inaugurated in 2006, it is yet to be officially handed over to the district sports and youth affairs department. Ironically, the public works department, which has nothing to do with sports promotion, continues to be the stadium’s custodian. The stadium is even bereft of watchmen to guard it.