Kanchenjungha Stadium | Lights for night matches by May

Siliguri, Feb. 1.TT: Kanchenjungha Stadium here can soon host night matches with work on the installation of floodlights starting this morning.

The floodlights will be installed in two phases and the project is expected to be completed in May. The state sports department has sanctioned Rs 6 crore for the work which is being done by a Calcutta-based company.

“Sports enthusiasts in Siliguri had been demanding for long that floodlights be set up at Kanchenjungha Stadium. The total cost of the project is pegged at Rs 6 crore and the work will be done in two parts — that is civil construction and electrification,” said Rajat Saini, the additional district magistrate (general) of Darjeeling.

An official of Mackintosh Burn Limited that was awarded the project said all four corners of the ground would have a 25metre-high tower.

“One tower will have 100 bulbs of 1,500 watt each,” he added.

Saini said the civil construction had begun after the soil tests and all the towers would be ready by March 15.

“Once the towers are ready, it will take another two months for electrification. We hope the illumination of the stadium will be completed by the end of May,” said Saini, who is also the secretary of the Siliguri Stadium Committee.

The Kanchenjungha ground, established in 1987, can accommodate around 35,000 spectators and is considered one of the largest football arenas in Bengal after Salt Lake stadium in Calcutta.

The proposal to illuminate the ground had been sent by Asok Bhattacharya three years back when he was the urban development and municipal affairs minister.

Members of the local sports body, Siliguri Mahakuma Krira Parishad, welcomed the launch of the project.

“The illumination of the stadium had been a long pending demand by the sports lovers in Siliguri. The stadium had hosted several national and international level football tournaments and we got appreciation from the players and officials for the good infrastructure. Once the floodlights are installed, the stadium will have an added advantage and we will be able to organise more sports events,” said Nantu Pal, the secretary of the Siliguri Mahakuma Krira Parishad.