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After Lucknow and Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh is all set to build its third international cricket stadium in Varanasi and the work on the same will start by May-June this year.

The state government has bought 31 acres of land in 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). According to officials, at the end of this month.

BCCI Honorary Secretary Jay Shah and BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla had visited Varanasi earlier this week in this regard.

“Uttar Pradesh government has identified about 31 acres of land in Ganjri village of Rajatalab tehsil (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.” UPCA director Yudhveer Singh told PTI on Sunday, the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow, where international matches will be played.

He said that the construction work of the new stadium would start by May-June this year and the stadium was likely to be completed by the end of 2024.

“The cost of construction of the proposed cricket stadium is around Rs 300 crore,” Mr Singh said. Mr Singh said the proposed international cricket stadium would be built as per international standards, and would have a capacity to accommodate 30,000 visitors.

Meanwhile, Varanasi’s Divisional Commissioner Kaushal Raj Sharma said, “The Uttar Pradesh government has bought 31 acres of land from farmers in Rajatalab area (of Varanasi) for about Rs 120 crore. This land will be handed over to the UPCA on October 30.” – Year’s lease till the end of this month. In lieu of lease, UPCA will give Rs 10 lakh to the UP government every year. After that UPCA will build its stadium (on this land).” Mr Sharma also said it is possible that Prime Minister Narendra Modi may lay the foundation stone of the international cricket stadium in June this year.

Confirming the visit of Mr. Shah and Mr. Shukla, the Divisional Commissioner said, “Officials of BCCI and UPCA held a few 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 lakh will be deposited and the land will be handed over to UPCA. After this, the BCCI will hand over the construction of the cricket stadium to its construction agency.”

When asked about the availability of hotel facilities in the city according to international cricket matches, Sharma said, “The stadium will be constructed in the Rajatalab area of ​​Varanasi. The area is surrounded by the Ring Road, and has wide roads leading to The (proposed) stadium. There is a five-star hotel in Varanasi. Soon, new hotels are coming up, and some hotels are being expanded.” UPCA director Yudhveer Singh said that the people of Kashi would be able to enjoy cricket matches in the stadium from 2025.