The landmark Mohan Ahuja Stadium in Bistupur is all set for upgradation.

After nearly eight years of legal tussle, Tata Steel and Jharkhand Badminton Association (JBA) have joined hands to jointly promote badminton in the state. An MoU was signed by the two parties on Wednesday and Tata Steel Sports Division Badminton Development & Advisory Committee has been formed to take forward the initiative.

The seven-member committee will work for the development of badminton as a sport at Tata Steel’s Badminton Training Center and Mohan Ahuja Stadium. This also includes providing the best-in-class infrastructure for training and organizing district, state, national and international tournaments.

Tata Steel would be spending around Rs 2 crores towards upgradation.

The initiative would go a long way in putting badminton on an even keel in Jharkhand. The shuttlers will also benefit and it will provide a fresh lease of life to Mohan Ahuja Stadium which has been crying for attention for several years. It will not take much time before the steel major upgrades the stadium.

Chanakya Chaudhary, vice-president (Corporate Services), Tata Steel said at a media meet on Thursday that talks with JBA were underway for some months. "We have set aside past issues and would work together to promote badminton across Jharkhand. "We would seek expertise from the JBA for the upgradation of Mohan Ahuja Stadium. We are already upgrading our badminton training centre and upgrading of the landmark stadium will begin once work at the training center is completed," he added.

“Sports is a way of life at Tata Steel and our partnership with JBA is yet another step that demonstrates this. Besides other benefits, the budding players will not only get the best infrastructure but also best coaches.”

Chaudhary said Tata Steel Utilities and Infrastructure Services Limited (erstwhile Jusco) would do a structural safety audit of the stadium before upgradation. "We will embark upon upgradation after the structural safety audit."Proper lighting and ventilation at the stadium would be vital components of the upgrade," he added.

JBA secretary K Prabhakar Rao, who was also present at the media meet, said: It is a historic moment for all of us today as we enter into this partnership. Mohan Ahuja Stadium is being handed over to Tata Steel for building a state-of-the-art badminton facility. JBA, along with Tata Steel, will do whatever is best for keen sports lovers of Jharkhand and Jamshedpur, Both Tata Steel and JBA are now one family,” Rao, also joint secretary of Badminton Association of India (BAI), added.

Farzan Heerjee, chief (Protocol and Sports), Tata Steel and chairman of the Tata Steel Sports Division Badminton Development & Advisory Committee played a lead role for breaking the deadlock between both parties. “The past is behind us and together we will progress towards the betterment of badminton,” he said.

Heerjee said they would also focus on the upgradation of Keenan Stadium. "It is badminton now and upgradation would follow in due course of time," he promised. According to him, the committee includes representatives from Tata Steel and JBA. The committee comprises K Prabhakar Rao, Sachin Kumar Rana (JBA joint secretary and national coach), Mukul Vinayak Choudhari (chief of Tata Steel sports excellence centres), Ashish Kumar (head of Tata Steel sports wing), Vivek Kumar (chief coach of Tata Steel Badminton Training Center) and Vaibhav (Tata Steel corporate administration).

The Mohan Ahuja Stadium, which has hosted national events in the past, became a subject of utter neglect after Tata Steel, which owns the stadium, had in September 2014 asked JBA to vacate it. But the JBA filed a title suit against Tata Steel at the local court with the plea that the venue had been leased out to it till December 2017.

In 2018, Tata Steel Utilities and Infrastructure Services Limited disconnected electricity supply to the stadium for pending dues amounting to over Rs 50 lakh. The roof of the stadium is leaking and plasters are peeling. Condition of the three wooden courts is also not in good shape.