Rourkela: Odisha Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra announced on Monday that the Rourkela Airport will be operational in a couple of days – right on time for the upcoming Men’s Hockey World Cup.
Senior state government officials, including the Chief Secretary, 5T Secretary VK Pandian and Sports Department Secretary Vineel Krishna visited Rourkela on Monday to review preparations for the upcoming Hockey World Cup in the steel city.
Talking to newspersons here, Mahapatra said, “We inspected the stadium as well as the airport today. The work for the airstrip has been completed. We also visited the terminal building. Inspection by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is over. We expect to get a license for the airstrip within a couple of days.”
“Initially, Alliance Air airline will provide flight services at the airport under the UDAN scheme. In addition, we have also booked the charter flights for transporting hockey players to and from Bhubaneswar,” Mahapatra added.
He said that the work on the Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium, where some matches of the Hockey World Cup will be played, has been completed. The practice field and the main field are ready for use. The high-mast lighting has also been tested. Three practice matches will be played at the main field from December 24 and necessary corrections will be made on the basis of feedback from the players,” the official added.
It is worth mentioning here that the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela will be held from January 13 to 29 at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar and Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium in Rourkela.
