Cuttack :The Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) has elected Pankaj Lochan Mohanty as its new president. While the cricket board has yet to make the announcement official, sources reported that Mohanty has already begun functioning as the acting president. Former OCA president Pranab Prakash Das had recently resigned, leaving the post vacant. Mohanty was the only candidate to file nomination for the post, which led to his uncontested victory. Notably, Mohanty will serve as president only until the end of Pranab Das’ tenure, after which a fresh election for a full-term president will be conducted in October this year. Meanwhile, Mohanty has taken up active efforts to ensure modernisation of the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack and ensure infrastructural readiness, especially regarding the floodlights. He informed that two permanent generators, one functional and one backup, would be installed for each of the six floodlights at the stadium and an additional four generators would be kept on standby at all times. The task to install the proposed total number of 16 permanent generators comes after one of the floodlights blacked out during the IndiaEngland ODI here on February 9, leading to widespread uproar. “The Cuttack Collector has taken stock of the situation; and now, every floodlight will have two generators at all times to ensure uninterrupted power supply,” said Mohanty. He also informed that the OCA is in talks with the State Government regarding a complete modernisation of the Barabati Stadium. “The government is positive about it and will soon reveal its plans for the same,” added Mohanty
Comments are closed.