A floodlight tower at the Kalinga Stadium coplex in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, Dec. 20: Floodlights will soon be installed at the Kalinga Sports Complex in the city, where the synthetic hockey turf is in place.

The lights should be ready by the end of this year.

The installation of four high-mast towers of 32 meters height has begun and this work is expected to finish in another week. Each tower will have 42 metal halide lamps of two kilowatt each to illuminate the stadium. The Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Idco), the executing agency of the illumination project, had already floated a tender last month for supply of five silent diesel generator sets.

Idco officials said that the illumination level would vary according to requirement.

“All the lights would be used for international matches. For national-level matches, about 50 to 60 per cent of the lights would be used. Practice matches can be held with around 25 per cent illumination,” said an Idco official.

Officials of Hockey India, the managing body of field hockey in India, are also supervising the installation work. “The installation work is being carried out following guidelines of Hockey India,” said manager (electrical) of Idco, S.C. Sahoo.

The combined estimated cost of the installation of floodlights and buying generator sets would be more than Rs 3 crore.

The hockey stadium with a seating capacity of 6,000 was built with a synthetic pink and blue turf to make it more attractive during live telecast of matches. The officials of state sports and youth services department are quite optimistic that the floodlights along with the colour combination of turf would be a visual delight for the spectators.

The timely installation of floodlight assumes significance, as the stadium would be the home venue for state-based franchise Idco-MCL Kalinga Lancers in the second edition of Hockey India League (HIL).

The Lancers will start its journey on January 28 when they will take on Jaypee Punjab Warriors at this venue.

The state team will begin their practice camp in Bhubaneswar from the first week of January.

While the players from the state and other states will join the practice camp in first week of January, the foreign players will join in the second week.