Jalpaiguri, February 6, 2026 – North Bengal’s budding athletes are on the verge of a major upgrade. Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya virtually kick-started construction of a world-class eight-lane synthetic athletic track at the Biswa Bangla Krirangan (formerly Jalpaiguri Sports Complex) on Tuesday.

Priced at ₹10 crore and built to international standards using a advanced four-layer sandwich system, the 400-metre track will host elite events including sprints, long-distance races, race walking, jumps (long, triple, high), pole vault, javelin, discus, and more. The project, supervised by the Sports Authority of India (SAI), is slated for completion in just three months.

Once ready, it will become West Bengal’s second synthetic athletics facility after Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium — a landmark for the northern districts, long considered a talent hotspot but hampered by inadequate infrastructure. Local stars like Asian Games gold medallist Swapna Barman had to train far from home in Kolkata or elsewhere.

“I had to train outside my district and outside the state for major competitions,” Barman said. “I hope young athletes from this region now get all facilities here and don’t have to go elsewhere.”

Wasim Ahmed, in charge of the SAI training centre in Jalpaiguri, confirmed the track meets global norms and will open doors for national and international-level hosting and advanced local training.

BJP MP Jayanta Roy noted that earlier attempts during the Left Front era had failed, making this a long-awaited win for the region’s sportspersons.

The development promises to keep North Bengal’s athletic promise right at home — no more long journeys for top-tier preparation.