Hostel for players in Silchar DSA; Dorm will be inaugurated by ACA chief Devajit Lon Saikia

Another feather added on the hat of Silchar DSA, as a 42 seater well-furnished Players Hostel is all set to be inducted into the facilities of the stadium. This is a new milestone towards modernization for the association headed by Bijendra Prasad Singh. The hostel has been sponsored by Umesh Kumar Sharda and Dr Siddhartha Shankar Bhattacharjee. On August 27, this hostel will be officially inaugurated in the presence of Assam Cricket Association’s Secretary Devajit Saikia.

Umesh Kumar Sharda gave donations in the name of his later father Gaurishankar Sharda and Dr Siddhartha Shankar Bhattacharjee in memory of his late father, Sunil Kanti Bhattacharjee. The hostel has been constructed just beneath the gallery of the football pavilion at Satindramohan Dev Stadium. In this regard, the General Secretary of DSA Bijendra Prasad Singh has said, “I have been thinking about this hostel since my tenure as the Secretary began. The accommodation provision we had earlier was not systematic and hence the committee felt the need for a new hostel with modern facilities. But since it was not possible for the committee to bear the entire cost for a new hostel, we shared the proposal with our two trusted members and they were ready to contribute”.

The Secretary further said, “The first proposal was placed in front of Umesh Kumar Sharda. Then we prepared the estimate for the construction and furnishing, which came up to 15 lakhs. Even with Umesh Kumar Sharda on board, we were stuck in one place and for that reason, we approached the committee’s executive Vice President, Dr Siddhartha Shankar Bhattacharjee. He also agreed to the proposal and came on board and the work began in full swing”. After the hostel was ready, the committee took it one step further and decided to make it air-conditioned. The committee decided to bear the cost of this air-conditioning system and the total expenditure on the hostel came up to 18 lakh rupees. Saptajit Dey has helped with the electronic requirements of the hostel, said the DSA’s, Secretary Singh.

There are 15 bunk beds on one side of the hostel and 12 single beds on the other side, which makes it a 42 bedded hostel. There are locker facilities for the players to store their kit or other equipment. There are 7 bathrooms attached to the hostel and additional eight bathrooms in the adjacent dressing room. The accommodation is free for all the players of the DSA, while if any member club wants to avail the hostel, they have to pay a nominal fee. For any other sports organisation or non-member club, they can avail of the hostel after paying the charges decided by the committee. Rules and regulations will be decided for players availing the hostel and a former player of the organisation will be given the responsibility of the warden to look after the hostel. The inauguration ceremony of the hostel will be held at Ashirwad Bhawan in the DSA complex on August 27 in the presence of Devajit Saikia, the Secretary of Assam Cricket Association.