The proposed cricket stadium of international standards in Mysuru pending for years has inched a step closer to becoming a reality. The Regional Commissioner has submitted a proposal to the Principal Secretary, Revenue Department, Government of Karnataka, in an official format, seeking the transfer of 26.31 acres of land for the construction of the stadium.
The land is in Huyilalu village in Yelwal Hobli on the outskirts of Mysuru and the Regional Commissioner has sought that the government land be transferred to Karnataka State Cricket Association, Bengaluru. This followed a requisition by the Deputy Commissioner of Mysuru and the said land is on Survey numbers 312 and 313 and the area is spread over 26.31 acres.
The RC has also cited a report of the local tahshildar that the vacant land was not registered in the name of anyone and was classified as government kharab land and was suitable for the proposed stadium. The location is within 9 km of the city and was well connected. Besides, there were no legal hurdles with respect to the identified land nor was it entangled in any case over ownership dispute and was hence free of encumbrance while the cost per acre has been pegged at ₹30 lakh.
The proposal for an international standard cricket stadium in Mysuru has been pending for years and Pratap Simha, MP, has also conducted a series of meetings with the revenue department and KSCA officials in this regard. The KSCA had sent the proposal nearly 10 years ago for the stadium in the city though the issue gained traction with Mr. Simha taking the initiative to clear the hurdles for land transfer. But in June this year, the district in-charge Minister H.C. Mahadevappa had also claimed that the proposal was first made when Congress was at the helm of affairs between 2013 and 2018 and he was apprised of the requirements by former international cricketers Javagal Srinath and Anil Kumble.
However, the concept gained traction only during the last two years and land was initially cleared at Sathgalli on the outskirts of the city. But it transpired that there were a couple of waterbodies close to the land and any construction work could result in legal hurdles.
Welcoming the developments, senior sports journalist C.K. Muralidharan said an international-level stadium in the city will give more exposure to the local talent as more cricket matches with international teams touring India, can be conducted. At present, Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar Ground, earlier known as Gangotri Glades, at the Manasagangotri campus of the University of Mysore, hosts a few matches of national level but the ground is small. The Ranji Trophy finals was also held here a few years ago, said Mr. Muralidharan.
For a tier-2 city, Mysuru has sufficient sporting facilities including the Chamundi Vihar Sports Complex which is a multipurpose stadium with an international-level swimming pool, astroturf hockey ground, synthetic track for athletics, indoor basketball and volleyball court, etc. But it is perceived that an international-level cricket stadium will provide a booster shot for sports in the city.
