FIFA praises Bengal Govt for superb infrastructure for U-17 World Cup
The Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan is at par with any world-class venue in the world, according to Javier Ceppi, the U-17 World Cup Local Organising Committee (LOC) tournament director.
The Tournament director gave Kolkata’s marquee stadium a 10 out of 10 rating and thanked the government of West Bengal for refurbishing it in two and a half years. The renovation work was taken up on February 1, 2015. Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee formally inaugurated the refurbished stadium on September 12.
The Bengal Government made every effort to promote the state on the back of the FIFA Under-17 World Cup. The government laid stress on both online and offline methods to promote the state. The Tourism Department created a special tour package for foreign tourists.
Adequate arrangements were made for seamless commuting to and from the stadium. The Transport department made adequate arrangements, in association with the police, to ensure smooth traffic. The Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate came up with an app for parking facilities around the stadium.
Adequate healthcare facilities were also in place with a brand new a three-bedded critical care unit (CCU) at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK). Arrangements for beds were made at nearby hospitals. Eight medical kiosks had been created at eight places in the stadium run for spectators, by the State Government, manned by doctors and nurses.
When the semi-final match was suddenly shifted from Guwahati to Kolkata, the Bengal Government handled the sudden change of fixture in the most professional manner. The match, which saw a full house, was organised without any glitches.
The FIFA Tournament director said, the Government of West Bengal took the U-17 World Cup as a very important project and the results are there to show, where the facility is a very good level. “This was a complete project undertaken by Government of West Bengal. They took the ownership of the renovations, which was done by their PWD Department, and spearheading the whole process was Department of Sports. Of course, the Hon Chief Minister was very involved and interested in the renovation”, he said.
