Authorities have expedited the finishing work in and around the Kalinga stadium for the Men’s Hockey World Cup to be held later this month.

The state capital will be the third city in the country to host the tournament after Delhi and Mumbai.

The construction of one of the foot overbridges near the venue has already been completed, while another foot overbridge will come up soon. Work is also going on in full swing for the construction of another entrance to the stadium.

“Development of a parking lot inside the stadium is also being done. The roads on the stadium premises will be repaired and a massive beautification drive will start this week. We are also in touch with the departments concerned to complete the works on time,” said an official of the sports department.

Authorities have also expedited the repair of roads leading to the hotels where the participating teams will stay. “Flags of all the participating teams will be erected near the venue and Janpath as well. We have also expedited the work of painting of walls of the city,” said an official.

The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Bhubaneswar Development Authority have also formed a squad to free encroachments from areas around the stadium. “We will also deploy a team to catch the canine population around the stadium area. We will also evict roadside vendors,” said a BMC official.

However, the construction of bus bays for city bus service are yet o be completed.