The mayor of Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) Gautam Deb, in a meeting with 10 Super Division football clubs on Tuesday afternoon has proposed to play under the floodlights at Kanchenjunga Stadium to finish the remaining matches. 

With 37 matches left, the football in Siliguri has been doomed to uncertainty by a sudden halt since 4th December following the forthcoming meeting of state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the Stadium ground on 12th December. 

Siliguri Mohokuma Krira Parishad (SMKP) football secretary Saurav Bhattacharya, when asked at Tuesday's meeting revealed, "The ground had already been allotted to veteran sports from 23rd to 28th December. In our meeting with the Mayor, we asked him if that allocation could be given to us to resume the Super Division league. However, the organizers of the veteran sports informed the Mayor in front of us that it would not be possible to shift their event. So, we cannot resume the League before 29th December. Then the Mayor asked us if the remaining matches could be staged on both days and nights. But that is not also easy task.”

The Mayor had a similar proposal to the club representatives and he has reportedly promised that the ground will be handed over in a perfect condition as it was before.

But the clubs still doubt the ground condition. One of the club representatives commented on condition of anonymity, “Big bamboo poles will be installed across the ground. Nails will be scattered throughout. Only patchwork will not make the ground as it was before. It should take 10 to 15 days at least to clear the debris and restore the ground to its previous condition.”

The clubs whose average budget reaches nearly Rs 12 to 15 lakhs for the building of the teams, especially to bear the cost of out-stationed footballers' payment, logistics, and food, have already spent more than half of their respective budget before the League was suddenly stopped by the state government. 

Additionally, the club might not get all the contracted out-stationed footballers as they might play in other tournaments.

The Mayor divulged on Monday that the Kanchenjunga Stadium ground will be completely renovated with Barmuda seeds which will be imported from South Africa. 

Still, the football fraternity believes the lack of another competitive ground in Siliguri has been the major factor behind this unfortunate incident and the clubs hold administrative failure on the issue.

SMKP secretary also admitted, “Several new stadiums have been built across West Bengal. Then why Siliguri has been deprived of another stadium for so many years? It is completely an administrative negligence.” 

Bhattacharya added, “Not only football, we also need an exclusive ground for cricket. I must say, the previous government should also be blamed for the negligence. It is not that the government did not have money. Kawakhali was a place where there was a vast land."

He also remembered, "Government organizations as well as corporate houses bought land at Kawakhali and built up respective offices. But no land was bought by the government to build up a second stadium so that Kanchenjunga Stadium can be relieved of some pressure.”