Mangaluru, Dec 15: Educational institutions in Mangaluru that rely on the popular Mangala Stadium for their annual sports events are bracing for an inconvenience as the city's key sporting venue is set to close its gates for a significant upgrade. The stadium is expected to be unavailable for approximately two months starting from January 15, 2026.
The closure is necessitated by a proposed overhaul of the stadium's facilities, with a special focus on upgrading the synthetic track. Pradeep Dsouza, Assistant Director of the District of Youth Empowerment and Sports (DYES), Dakshina Kannada, confirmed the development.
"Experts have visited the stadium, conducted a thorough inspection, and have given the go-ahead for a complete makeover," Dsouza stated. "Funds have been allocated for the project, and we are currently awaiting the final green signal from state officials to commence the work. We anticipate that the work will likely begin in the second week of January. Consequently, we have stopped renting out the stadium to colleges and other organizations in preparation for the upgrade."
The timing presents a logistical challenge for colleges, as many schools have already concluded their sports meets.
"Colleges will now be organizing their events and will need to find alternative locations to host their sports meets," Dsouza added. He suggested a few potential venues, including the Dakshina Kannada police ground, University College grounds, Panambur grounds, Swaraj Maidan in Moodbidri, and the Mangalore University sports grounds in Konaje.
However, many institutions note that finding a comparable venue will be difficult. While the DK police ground and University College grounds are closer to the city center, they do not possess the extensive facilities and infrastructure offered by Mangala Stadium.
Dr. P Dayananda Pai - P Satisha Govt First Grade College, Carstreet, is one such institution dependent on the stadium. Principal Jayakar Bhandary expressed hope for a swift completion of the work. "We expect the work to be completed at the earliest. If not, we will be forced to look for other venues to host the sports day for our students," Bhandary said, highlighting the pressing need for the city's main sporting facility.
Comments
Thanks to the almighty......but corporation should take necessary action to conserve water and public to be educated about saving water....everyone has a lesson this year....but our aadat is forgetting it soon......
The government authorities and the citizens should start taking necessary steps from now itself for water conservation and rain water harvesting activities so that similar drought like situations are not felt next year.
Al-Hamdulillah, Good news Allah's mercy..Thank you CD for giving us this great news.
Alhamdullillah : Thanks to ALLAH, Humans are weak and helpless if ALLAH did not had mercy and favored us with the rain.. Its a MERCY from ALLAH to his Creation
Prophet Muhammad pbuh (The last & final messenger of ALLaH) said: Do not waste water even if YOU were at a running Stream...
Al Hamdulillah!!!! Please dont waste water, its very precious....
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