Odisha government declares holiday for Hockey World Cup events

Bhubaneswar, Nov 26 (IANS) The Odisha government on Monday announced that all educational institutions in Bhubaneswar will remain closed for the opening ceremony of the Odisha Men's Hockey World Cup on Tuesday.Schools and educational institutions in the capital city will remain closed on Tuesday, while educational institutions across the state will remain closed after 1.30 p.m, a release from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said.Similarly, all government offices in the state, including those in Bhubaneswar, will function till 1.30 p.m, the release said.The inaugural event will be held in the evening on Tuesday. The matches for the world cup will begin at Kalinga Stadium here from Wednesday.The state government also announced that all educational institutions and government offices in Cuttack will be closed on Wednesday after 1.30 p.m in view of the Hockey World Cup celebrations event scheduled to be held at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Wednesday.Bollywood actors Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit and music maestro A.R. Rahman are slated to perform at the inaugural programme at Kalinga Stadium on Tuesday. Besides, some Odia actors will also perform at the programme.Similarly, Rahman and some actors will perform at Barabati Stadium on Wednesday.
--IANS cd/nir