The Siliguri Municipal Corporation has taken up the task to repair the dilapidated Kanchenjungha Stadium and has decided that from May this year, only sports events would be allowed there.
The decision was made amid criticisms that no maintenance work is carried out in the stadium and that it was regularly used for administrative and musical events.
“We have taken an elaborate measure to revamp the stadium. As some pre-scheduled musical events will be organised at the stadium next month, we have decided to allow them. However, from May and onwards, we will give permission only to host sports events,” said Siliguri mayor Gautam Deb on Wednesday.
In June 2022, the state sports and youth affairs department handed over the responsibility of the stadium to the civic body and entrusted it to carry out necessary maintenance and development works.
“A couple of months back, a tender was floated to engage an agency to draw a plan for repair works of the stadium. An agency based in Durgapur has been assigned with the task,” added Deb.
So far, the SMC has sanctioned Rs 10 crore for the stadium’s maintenance work. “The civic body will receive another Rs 40 lakh from organisers of the upcoming musical events, which will also be spent on its maintenance,” said a source.
Mohun Bagan road
The Siliguri Municipal Corporation has decided to name a thoroughfare of the city after Mohun Bagan, the Calcutta-based soccer club.
“On April 2, we will officially declare a street that stretches from the Lalmohan Moulik ghat to Surya Sen Park as Mohun Bagan Avenue,” said the mayor.
He also said that the committee in the SMC which finalises names of streets and roads has identified another street in Siliguri to be named after East Bengal, another football club of Calcutta.
Eatery fire in Calcutta
A fire broke out at a restaurant in Kalighat on Wednesday evening.
Five tenders managed to douse the blaze at Hotel Sathi, that allegedly lacked a firefighting system, in an hour which started around 6pm. No one was injured in the fire, police said.
“A gas cylinder might have exploded in the kitchen that caused the fire. A forensic team will visit the spot on Thursday to identify the exact cause of the fire,” a fire officer said.
