Rourkela: With just 10 days to go before the Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium here hosts matches of the FIH Pro League, the venue is getting a facelift. New coats of paint are being put, chairs are being cleaned and overall there is the ambience of an upcoming festival. However, no one is talking about the statue of the hockey player wearing the No.2 jersey which once stood near the airport here. Many believe that the statue was of hockey legend Dhyan Chand. The statue had become a huge attraction for residents of this city as well as visitors. It had become a selfie point for the enthusiasts. However, much to the dismay of all, the statue crashed from the pedestal it stood June 11, last year. Many alleged that the statue had been constructed with poor quality material leading to its destruction. However, officials of the Rourkela Municipal Corporation (RMC) dismissed the allegations. The statue had been set up just ahead of the 2023 FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup.
Like always, a panel comprising an NIT Rourkela professor, ADM Commissioner of RMC, and other officials was formed to investigate the reasons behind the collapse of the statue. To date, however, the report has not been made public. There have been many occasions when former RMC Commissioner, Dr Subhankar Mohapatra was asked on this issue. He always used to assert that the report of the committee would be made public soon. He also ruled out the use of poor-quality materials in construction. The RMC version always remained that, ‘some miscreants, probably who stole iron, cut the base on which the statue was standing leading to its collapse’.
However, with a police beat officer in front of the statue, no one was ready to accept the explanation. After it toppled over, the statue remained lying on the road for more than a month, before it was removed. Even though the RMC was criticised for its lackadaisical attitude over the statue, it never came out with its plans. Olympian and former captain of the Indian hockey team, Ashok Kumar, who visited this city July last year also criticised the RMC for not restoring the statue. “It doesn’t matter whether the statue is of my father Dhyan Chand. What matters is that it is of a hockey player and the game should be respected. The way the situation has been handled is an insult to the game,” Ashok had said. Sources meanwhile said that the plan to rebuild the statue has been abandoned. In its place a replica of the World Cup will be kept, they added.