Bhubaneswar: Encroachment along the boundary of Kalinga Stadium has emerged as a major problem as the authorities look to revamp the complex ahead of this year's Men's Hockey World Cup.

The civic authorities are doing everything to put in place quality infrastructure in and around the stadium.

However, they are yet to have plans to evict and rehabilitate encroachers, especially those on the Jayadev Vihar Square side. A temple near the stadium's main entrance is another problem they need to overcome.

The storm water drainage channel around the stadium has seen the maximum number of squatters. The civic body has tagged these settlements as unauthorised, but is yet to make attempts to remove them.

"We had tried to evict the encroachers a number of times, but couldn't because of local resistance. Once we get the next order, we will go with enough police and evict them," said a civic official.

The authorities tried to shift the temple last October, but residents resisted the move.

"The temple has been here a long time and a number of residents from the nearby areas come here to pray. There were no problems in the past, but the authorities are now making attempts to demolish it on the pretext of developing the stadium. They should come up with plans to integrate it with the stadium infrastructure," said Nayapalli resident Debesh Kar.

Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena said the encroachment need to be cleared for smooth conduct of the world cup.

"We are in talks with the people and will make them understand the need for eviction. We will adequately rehabilitate them. People need to understand that we will only shift the temple," he said.