The West Bengal state government has formally authorized the Public Works Department (PWD) to commence extensive repair and restoration work at the iconic Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. This decision comes in the wake of significant vandalism that occurred on December 13 during the city's tour by global football superstar Lionel Messi.
Committee Formed, Damage Assessed
Reacting swiftly to the incident, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee constituted a high-level committee to investigate the matter. The panel includes retired Justice Asim Kumar Roy, Chief Secretary Manoj Pant, and Home Secretary Nandini Chakraborty. Parallelly, the PWD was tasked with conducting a detailed assessment of the damage to plan the restoration drive.
After evaluating the PWD's report, top officials at Nabanna, the state secretariat, have now given the final go-ahead. The repair work is scheduled to begin from January.
Extent of Destruction and Estimated Cost
The assessment revealed widespread destruction, with officials stating that a large portion of the stadium needs to be rebuilt. Preliminary reports indicate the vandalism caused infrastructure damage worth approximately Rs 4 crore.
The stadium bore clear scars of the chaos. Broken bucket chairs and water bottles were littered across the ground. On the lowest tier, several bucket seats were smashed and hurled onto the field. The iron grille was torn and damaged at multiple points as spectators surged onto the ground. The pitch and the surrounding synthetic running track were also found damaged, littered with ripped seats and shattered iron frames.
Furthermore, the assessment identified severe damage to the roof above the corridor leading to the players' dressing room.
Restoration Timeline and Future Plans
Given the scale of the damage, government officials acknowledge that restoring the stadium to its original state may take considerable time. "The aim would be to finish and restore the stadium at the earliest possible and to hand it back to the sports department so that sporting events can resume at the venue," a government official stated.
Concurrently, the state government plans to review and strengthen the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for organizing large-scale events. "The state govt has a specific SOP for such events, and the SOP will be improved upon receiving the report," an official added. Currently, there is no schedule for any major tournament at the stadium for the next few months, allowing time for comprehensive repairs.
