Following Lucknow and Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh will now get its third international cricket stadium. The stadium will be constructed in Varanasi, which will begin in May-June of this year. Further, the construction of the stadium is expected to be completed by the end of 2024.
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.
According to UPCA Director Yudhvir Singh, “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, he further added.
Furthermore, the projected cricket stadium will cost roughly around Rs 300 crore to take shape and be built as per international standards. It is projected to have a seating capacity of 30,000 guests.
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 Rs 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 Rs 10 lakh to the state government each year. Following that, the UPCA will build its own stadium (on this land).”
Divisional Commissioner Sharma further added 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 Jay Shah and Rajeev 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.”
The construction of the new stadium will also compliment other avenues in the city such as the construction of five-star hotel, domestic and foreign tourism, and more. Further, it is expected that the people in Kashi will be able to watch cricket matches in the stadium starting in 2025, according to UPCA director Yudhvir Singh.
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