The Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) that is in charge of the Kanchenjunga Stadium has included cricketer and local boy Wriddhiman Saha, former footballer Shyam Thapa and hockey player Bharat Chhetri in the 11-member advisory committee of the stadium that has been formed to recommend improvement of the facility.

“I spoke with Wriddhi (Saha), who is in Tripura, and also with Bharat Chhetri and Shyam Thapa. We have included them in the stadium’s advisory committee. Their expertise will be used for development of the sports infrastructure,” said Gautam Deb, the mayor who is also the chairperson of the committee.

The stadium is spread over an area of seven acres and can accommodate around 30,000 spectators. “But due to its poor infrastructure, we could not host national-level soccer matches in the last five years. The last match was held in 2017,” said a member of the SMKP.

Sources said the stadium lacks a modern changing room, a media centre and a proper VIP block. Also, the drinking water supply and drainage system are in bad shape while concrete plasters have been peeling off.

“Our initial plan is to carry out some essential renovation work, including its sewage system. I will soon meet chief minister Mamata Banerjee with Aroop Biswas, the sports minister, to seek her intervention for the overall facelift of the stadium,” Deb said.

According to him, indoor sports like table tennis, basketball, badminton and volleyball will be played at the indoor stadium, which is in Deshbandhupara of the town, at regular intervals.

The two runners The Telegraph Picture

Bringing laurels to Sikkim

Sikkim’s Phurba Tamang won the 50km ultra marathon for women while Amar Subba came third in the men’s section at the multi-event Kalimpong Silk Route Festival on Saturday. Phurba took 5 hours, 2 minutes and 12 seconds to complete the arduous run in the hilly terrain that began from Aritar in Sikkim and concluded in Kalimpong.

Sunita Subba of Darjeeling and Becky Pde of Shillong in Meghalaya stood second and third with timings of 5 hours, 30 minutes and 8 seconds, and 5 hours, 59 minutes and 15 seconds, respectively. Sikkim’s veteran long-distance runner Amar clocked 5 hours, 3 minutes and 34 seconds to finish third behind winner Hemant Limbu of Rimbik in Darjeeling and Som Bahadur, also from Rimbik.

Report by Rajeev Ravidas