The playground to be converted into a mini stadium in Cuttack. Picture by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, June 26: The urban planning body will build two sports complexes here in an aim to provide better facilities to the city’s youth.

Officials of the Cuttack Development Authority are preparing a detailed blueprint for the two complexes, which would also have mini stadiums. The two sports complexes are supposed to come up at the CDA township and Mahanadi Vihar.

“We have come up with a proposal to establish two complexes for various sports and other extracurricular activities,” said secretary of the development authority Saroj Kumar Sethi.

Sethi said the first sports complex would be constructed on 3.77 decimal land at Sector-7 CDA, while the second one will come up on 1.207 decimal at Mahanadi Vihar. The cost for the two complexes has been estimated at Rs 1.90 crore and Rs 80 lakh, respectively.

Both the complexes will have provision for outdoor games, including football and cricket. There will be galleries, drinking water facilities, player’s dressing room and other arrangements for refreshment of the spectators.

“There will also be a concrete dais to organise various events. The land for the two complexes have already been demarcated,” Sethi said.

Another source in the development authority said that construction of the complexes would start shortly after completion of the tender process by October. A proposal will also be sent to the state government for approval and release of funds for the two projects.

“There is an acute shortage of playgrounds in the city. We welcome the two projects,” said Dilip Bhuyan, a resident of Markat Nagar.

Bhuyan said the existing playground at CDA Sector 7 was not maintained properly and local people had encroached upon it as there were no boundary walls.

“There are at least seven other playgrounds in the city. But, all those have become hubs for criminal activities. The authorities should initiate measures for erecting boundary walls on all playgrounds to put a check on such activities,” said Sidharth Mishra, another resident of Markat Nagar.

The Odisha Olympic Association has also welcomed the development authority’s plan to construct the sports complexes.

“The Odisha Olympic Association will provide all necessary support for the development of playgrounds,” said association secretary Ashirbad Behera.