The construction work for the 20,000-seater Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium, touted to be the largest in the country, started with a `bhoomi puja` (groundbreaking ceremony) at the Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT) campus in Rourkela today.

This was announced by Sundergarh district Collector Nikhil Pavan Kalyan through his Twiter handle. Rourkela MLA Sarada Prasad Nayak and Additional District Magistrate Aboli Naravane attended the event, the official said.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had laid the foundation stone of the stadium earlier this year in February. The stadium will come up on 15-20 acres of land, for which work is expected to be completed within a year. It will host the FIH Mens Hockey World Cup 2023 along with Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.