Varanasi set to get its international cricket stadium

After Lucknow and Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh is set to get its third international cricket stadium in Varanasi and work on it will begin in May-June, this June the state government has purchased a 31-acre plot of land in the Rajatalab area of ​​Varanasi for an international cricket stadium and the land will be handed over to the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) by the end of this month.

According to officials BCCI Honorary Secretary Jay Shah and BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla visited Varanasi earlier this week. “The UP government has identified about 31 acres of land at Ganjari village in Rajatalab tehsil (of Varanasi) for the construction of an international cricket stadium. It will be the third such stadium in the state after Green Park in Kanpur and Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Stadium in Lucknow to host international matches,” UPCA director Yudhvir Singh said on Sunday.

He said construction work on the new stadium would begin in May-June this year and the stadium is likely to be completed by the end of 2024. “The construction cost of the proposed cricket stadium is around Rs 300 crore,” Singh said. Singh said the proposed international cricket stadium would be built as per international standards and have a capacity of 30,000 visitors. UPCA Secretary Arvind Kumar Srivastava said that Jay Shah and Rajeev Shukla had visited Varanasi earlier this week in this regard.

Meanwhile, Varanasi Divisional Commissioner Kaushal Raj Sharma said, “Uttar Pradesh government has purchased 31 acres of land from Rajatalab (Varanasi) area from farmers for nearly Rs 120 crore. This land will be given to the UPCA for a 30-year lease by the end of this month. In lieu of rent, UPCA will give 10 crore rupees to the UP government every year. Then UPCA will build their own stadium (on this land). Sharma also said that it is possible that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation of the international cricket stadium in June this year.

Confirming Shah and Shukla's visit, the Divisional Commissioner said, “BCCI and UPCA officials held several rounds of talks with district administration officials regarding the construction of the cricket stadium. Now, in the last week of this month, the lease fee of Rs 10 crore will be deposited and the land will be handed over to UPCA. After that, the BCCI will outsource the construction work of the cricket stadium to its construction agency.”

Asked about the availability of hotel facilities in the city according to international cricket matches, Sharma said, “The stadium will be built in the Rajatalab area of ​​Varanasi. The area is surrounded by the Ring Road and has wide roads that lead to the (proposed) stadium. There is one five-star hotel in Varanasi. New hotels will come soon and some hotels are expanding.” UPCA director Yudhvir Singh said people of Kashi will be able to enjoy cricket matches at the stadium from 2025.