Prodded by chief minister Mamata Banerjee, Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (Hidco) is making preparations to engage consultants to design a second and a larger indoor stadium in the city.

Situated in New Town, the stadium will have advanced and all kinds of modern sports infrastructure and supporting facilities like a multi-gym, health food centre, sports medicine enclave and sports videocum-simulation centres to match international standards.

Senior Hidco authorities have already made some spot visits on the possible site for the stadium to be constructed.The site is near the Eco Park's deer park. The Hidco authorities have already commissioned two of its engineers to draw a tender within a week.

Senior Hidco officials recently contacted IIT-Kharagpur experts to get some views and suggestions as to how the stadium could be designed.

Experts have said the stadium could have supporting sports infrastructure -a well equipped multi-gym, health food restaurants, keeping in mind sportspersons' diet, an advanced sports medicine enclave to cater to any kind of emergencies and a sports video-cum-simulation centre to better utilize the complex all through the year.

Indoor stadiums are conventionally smaller than football or cricket stadiums. Offici als have learned that Delhi now has the largest indoor stadium of the country -the Indira Gandhi Stadium, which was earlier known as Indraprastha Stadium. The stadium has 15,000 fixed seats. Officials have also learned that most of the new world indoor stadiums have a capacity of 20,000 seats.The Netaji Indoor Stadium in the city can seat 12,000 people.

The authorities are planning to follow international standards to set up a large indoor stadium that could accommodate about 15,000 to 20,000 people. Hidco engineers have found out that there are some problems in making a larger indoor stadium. An elaborate long-span architectural and structural system has some structural complications, as no column will be there to support the roof so that spectators in the farthest galleries can have a clear view. The Hidco engineers will work on these technical issues with the consultants.

Hidco has already set up a football and cricket stadium in New Town and is developing a tennis court and other sports complexes to set up a sports hub in the township.

 

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