Proposed stadium ground turns dumping yard

BERHAMPUR: Even as much has been said about the provision of facilities for the promotion of sports and games, the reality is different in the city. The ground adjacent to KC High School in Gosaninuagaon here was the only playground for thousands of students in the vicinity. However, now the ground remained unused since long, depriving the students of the benefit of outdoor games. In 2004 Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik laid the foundation stone for a mini stadium. Nearly eight years after, no steps were taken for its construction.  Rather, the playground has been used to dump soil dredged from different ponds in the city. Narendra Padhy, a resident of the area said earlier the ground was treated as safest place for morning walk, since it was surrounded by dwellings. But the dumping has deprived the elites of the exercise. Similarly, several students of the area alleged that the dumping ground has deprived them of practising games.