Kolkata: Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC ) has plans to set up its own stadium at Tala Park in North Kolkata after the construction of the Tala Bridge is completed.
There are a number of urban local bodies in the state that have its own stadium but Kolkata Municipal Corporation does not have similar facilities.
"We had earlier planned to set up a stadium at Tala Park and the state government had allocated Rs 3 crore for it. However, after the state government decided to demolish the old Tala Bridge and set up a new one, the company that bagged the tender for construction started using Tala Park for keeping various utilities. So naturally, the work for the stadium could not start and the funds that were allocated was returned back to the state government. But , soon after the Tala Bridge's construction is complete, we will initiate the process for setting up the stadium," Debasish Kumar, Member Mayor-in-Council (Sports) said in reply to a proposal placed by ward 48 councillor Biswarup Dey during the monthly meeting of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation on Saturday.
Dey proposed to the KMC to take measures for conversion of the playground in the civic body's jurisdiction into a full fledged stadium.
"We have to depend on other clubs or organisations for holding sporting events, but we need not have to depend on others if we have a full fledged stadium," Dey said.
Dey also proposed a little enhancement of Kolkata Municipal Corporation's fund of Rs 40 lakh allotted for sports so that sports like cricket, football, table tennis, chess, badminton among can be popularised at the borough level with the intention to churn out players for sub junior or school level.
Kumar also asked for a concrete proposal from Dey in this regard considering his long tryst as cricket administrator before he had joined Trinamool Congress in January 2021 and was given a ticket by the party to contest in Kolkata Municipal Corporation polls held in December last year.