Lucknow, 19 March (HS): Following Lucknow and Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh will get its third international cricket stadium in Varanasi, with construction slated to begin in May-June of this year.
According to authorities, the state government has bought 31 acres of land in Varanasi’s Rajatalab region for the international cricket stadium, which would be given over to the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) by the end of this month. In this context, BCCI honorary secretary Jay Shah and BCCI vice president Rajeev Shukla visited Varanasi earlier this week.
“The Uttar Pradesh government has designated around 31 acres of land in Ganjari village in Rajatalab tehsil (of Varanasi) for the construction of the international cricket stadium. It will be the third such stadium in the state, following Green Park in Kanpur and the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana stadium in Lucknow, where international matches would be staged,? according to UPCA director Yudhvir Singh on Sunday. He stated that building on the new stadium will begin in May-June of this year, with the stadium expected to be finished by the end of 2024.
“The projected cricket stadium will cost roughly ?300 crore to build,” Singh added.
Singh stated that the projected international cricket stadium would be built to international standards and will have a capacity of 30,000 guests. Jay Shah and Rajeev Shukla visited Varanasi earlier this week, according to UPCA secretary Arvind Kumar Srivastava.
Meanwhile, Divisional Commissioner of Varanasi, Kaushal Raj Sharma stated, “The Uttar Pradesh government has acquired 31 acres of land from the Rajatalab region (of Varanasi) from farmers at roughly ?120 crore. At the end of this month, the UPCA will be issued a 30-year lease on this site. In place of the lease, the UPCA would provide ?10 lakh to the state government each year. Following that, the UPCA will build its own stadium (on this land).”
Sharma further stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi may lay the groundwork for the international cricket stadium in June of this year. “BCCI and UPCA officials had various rounds of meetings with district administration officials about the development of the cricket stadium,” the divisional commissioner stated, confirming Shah and Shukla’s visit. The leasing cost of Rs 10 lakh will now be paid in the last week of this month, and the land will be turned over to the UPCA. Following that, the BCCI would delegate development of the cricket stadium to its construction agency.”
Answering a question about the availability of hotel amenities in the city as per the international cricket matches, Sharma stated, “The stadium would be developed in Rajatalab region of Varanasi. This neighbourhood is bounded by Ring Road and includes large roadways that connect to the (planned) stadium. Varanasi has one five-star hotel. New hotels will be built soon, and existing ones will be extended.? ?People in Kashi will be able to watch cricket matches in the stadium starting in 2025, according to UPCA director Yudhvir Singh.
Hindusthan Samachar/Abhishek Awasthi
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