Rourkela: It was a special experience for 16 differently abled students as they were flown from Bhubaneswar to watch Hockey World Cup matches at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela on Friday.
The students, including girls, boarded the flight at Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar under the supervision of officials from the Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD) department. They were accorded a warm welcome by Sundargarh district administration on their arrival at the Rourkela airport. From there, they went in a special bus to the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium.
Seats were especially reserved for the students at the disabled friendly stadium which has a sitting capacity of 20,000. They were elated to see their favourite international hockey players in action.
The guardians of the students and officials from the SSEPD department including additional secretaries Dipak Routray and Sonia Behera accompanied them. The students belong to Bhubaneswar-based Shree Harsha Memorial School for HI, SIEP, Jewels International Chetna Institute for Intellectual Disabilities and NCSCDA.
Additional Secretary, School and Mass Education Department Bhairab Singh Patel, DSSO Sundargarh Ashok Kumar Habadasingh and other officials were present at Rourkela airport.
