Former Union Minister Dilip Ray urges Naveen for early operation of commercial flight from Rourkela

Rourkela, Dec 26: Former Union Minister and Rourkela legislator Dilip Ray today expressed his gratitude to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for setting up a hockey stadium in the steel city. Ray said that with more than over 50 hockey players from here having represented India at the International level. “Sundargarh district can rightfully be described as the cradle of Indian hockey and the decision of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to establish India's largest hockey stadium in the district is a much-deserved tribute to the district where Hockey is not just a sport but a way of life.  This announcement along with the one to develop synthetic turf in each of the 17 blocks of Sundargarh will certainly give a big boost to the sports ecosystem in the region and as someone belonging to the district, I wholeheartedly express my gratefulness to him for this historic decision,” said Ray. Earlier on Thursday, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has announced a new world-class Hockey Stadium in Rourkela city which would be the biggest stadium for Hockey in India with a sitting capacity of 20 thousand. Ray further urged Naveen to ensure early operation of commercial flight services from Rourkela as well to ensure the expeditious execution of projects under the Smart City Scheme.   “ International teams will be visiting Rourkela during the World Cup and it is necessary that adequate arrangements are accordingly made to beautify and develop the town from this perspective. Projects sanctioned under the Smart City, upon completion will give a complete modern makeover to the city while the expansion of the runway would qualify the airport to handle 72 or more-seater aircraft. Therefore, emphasis on an urgent basis have to be accorded to both these aspects, along with other works that might be necessary,” added Ray. Rourkela along with Bhubaneswar will host the 2023 Hockey World Cup.