GDA, UP cricket body to develop international stadium together

The move comes after chief minister Yogi Adityanath visited Ghaziabad on June 26 and directed GDA to expedite the stadium construction and take up its operations

The Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) and the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) are all set to jointly develop a proposed international cricket stadium at Morti near Raj Nagar Extension. The draft of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) is being prepared for it, GDA officials said on Tuesday.

The stadium, with a seating capacity for 55,000 spectators, is expected to comply with all international standards, and, during the initial stages, the UPCA estimated it could cost about ₹450 crore. (HT Archive)

The move comes after chief minister Yogi Adityanath visited Ghaziabad on June 26 and directed GDA to expedite the stadium construction and take up its operations. The deliberations for the stadium have been on since 2018.

“A draft of an MoU is being prepared by GDA for the purpose of setting the terms and conditions for the joint development of the stadium on a public-private-partnership basis. The draft may be finalised and it is expected to get signed after a couple of meetings next month with the UPCA,” GDA media coordinator Rudresh Shukla said on Tuesday.

The stadium, with a seating capacity for 55,000 spectators, is expected to comply with all international standards, and, during the initial stages, the UPCA estimated it could cost about ₹450 crore.

In 2016-2017, the UPCA, with the help of the GDA, purchased about 33 acres for this purpose. However, the land, which is agricultural in nature still has to be changed into an open space to develop the sports facility.

Earlier, GDA officials aware of the matter said that the development was being held up because the UPCA did not submit the maps for the construction of the stadium. This is because they were demanding a floor-area ratio (FAR) of about 2.7—far above the permissible limits under the then building bylaws. FAR determines the maximum floor area of a building that can be constructed according to the size of the land.

According to the initial plan, a 23-acre patch of land was meant for the construction of the cricket stadium. The rest, the proposal said, would be for commercial activities and mixed land use activities which require a high FAR component.

“Now, the cost estimates along with the MoU are also being chalked out. With GDA’s intervention, a lot of costs like the development and administrative charges, land use conversion charges etc., will not be required. So, the cost will come down. Further, there are some land chunks of government land at the site. So, GDA can expedite getting it as well,” Shukla added.

Rakesh Mishra, UPCA’s convener for the cricket stadium, said that the things for the development of the stadium and a sports academy will now get expedited.

“The issue of FAR and also those related to high-tension electricity lines passing through the land proposed for the stadium, created issues. Now, with involvement of the government, we expect that all issues will be dealt with. After another meeting, we expect to sign the MoU with the GDA,” Mishra added.