Construction For International Cricket Stadium In Varanasi To Begin Soon

Varanasi is expected to soon get an international cricket stadium.

As per district government officials, it is likely that the foundation for the stadium will be laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his proposed visit to the city on 24 March, as reported by Hindustan Times.

The regional sports officer, Raj Prakash Singh has confirmed the development and expressed that the construction of the international cricket stadium will commence shortly.

The Varanasi Development Authority (VDA) is also expected to engage in developing the surrounding areas of the stadium.

According to a senior official at the Raja Ka Talab tehsil, land for the stadium has been acquired outside Ganjari village in Varanasi.

The land owners were reportedly given Rs 121 crore as compensation. The site spans across 32 acres of land and is approximately 15 km away from the city.

This will be the state's third international stadium after Green Park in Kanpur and Ekana Stadium in Lucknow. While this proposed facility will be the first in Purvanchal region.

An office-bearer of Varanasi Cricket Association (VCA), stated that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) vice-president, Rajiv Shukla and secretary Jay Shah, recently inspected the land along with a team of technical experts and held a meeting with the office-bearers of Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) for discussions about the stadium project.

Following the meeting, VCA secretary Javed Akhtar Khan stated “Varanasi will have an international cricket stadium. Thanks to BCCI, UPCA, the government of India and the UP government for the support for a global-standard stadium in Varanasi”.

According to a previous report by TOI, in 2022, the state government allocated an amount of Rs 95 crore in the budget for the purchase of land in Varanasi for the development of another international cricket stadium in the state.

Currently, there are only two stadiums in Varanasi — Dr Sampurnanand Sports Stadium and Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Sports Stadium — which are run by the sports department.

Singh further added, "Both are built on about 15 acres land and are too small as compared to the stature of what Varanasi is today".