The Calcutta High Court (HC) on Thursday has directed the Howrah Municipal Corporation (HMC) to make the Dumurjala Indoor Stadium (DIS), located close to the state secretariat Nabanna, operational for the public after completion of reconstruction and renovation works within six months.
The 27-year-old DIS that came up along the Drainage Canal Road during the CPM-led Left Front regime in the state for indoor sports activities has been lying unused since 2019 with the end of five-year term HMC board.
A board of administrators formed by the state government runs the Howrah civic body till the HMC election is held to form the new board.
The state urban development and municipal affairs (UDMA) department decided to reconstruct and renovate the indoor stadium by increasing its seating capacity to 6,000 from the existing 3,000 and installing a complete air-conditioning system inside the complex.
A city-based reputed construction agency was selected through a tender floated by the HMC for the entire works at Rs 27 crore. The UDMA department is supposed to provide the funds to the implementing agency HMC.
But construction and repair works have been stopped since 2019 following the cash-strapped state government’s failure to release funds to the private agency.
The DIS stadium, sole complex for indoor sports with a huge audience capacity in Howrah city, virtually turned into a dumping ground for wastes with suspension of construction works for more than the past five years.
Following a public interest litigation (PIL) filed with the HC several months ago against the HMC, second largest municipal corporation after the Kolkata civic body in the state, the court today directed to reopen the indoor stadium after completion of works within six months.
“The construction and repair works of the stadium have been put on hold owing to paucity of funds. With the directive of the HC, the Howrah civic body will do its best to pay our outstanding Rs 16 crore, we hope. More than 70 per cent works have been completed and the rest 30 per cent will be done as soon as we get the dues,” Ratan Chawdhury told The Statesman on behalf of the construction agency.