The Khalsa College cricket ground has been referred by the Amritsar Games Association (AGA) to the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) to develop it as per requirements so as to make the ground an alternative venue for cricket matches besides Gandhi ground in the city.
In October last, during an inter-state women cricket tournament of north zone in Amritsar — in which teams from Punjab, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi and Himachal Pradesh had participated —both Gandhi ground and Khalsa College cricket ground had hosted five matches each.
After the matches, AGA officials approached the college and promised an assistance for upgrading both playing and non-playing areas.
“The ground has been referred to the PCA and few developments have already been done,” said Pradeep Saini, vice-president, AGA.
“Few things have already been provided to the college such as pitch covers, boundary ropes, stands for fixing cameras and lights for pavilion. But major development will be done after receiving the approval,” Saini added.
“The master plan is to convert this ground into a stadium. We are waiting for the approval and as soon as we get it, we will start upgrading the ground. We were approached by PCA officials in 2014 for the championship and they offered us an upgradation plan for this heritage cricket ground so that more matches could be played here,” said Mehal Singh, principal, Khalsa College.
“The ground has five pitches — three for matches and two for practice. But we definitely need a pavilion and dormitories for officials and players,” said Daljeet Singh, head of the department of physical education.
“We are in the process of signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the college through the AGA. Once the MOU is in place, we will, as per the agreement, provide the college with equipment for the upkeep of the ground. The PCA might also go ahead and give 50% subsidy for building a small pavilion, dressing rooms and other facilities. But everything depends on terms and conditions of the tripartite agreement between AGA, PCA and the college,” said GS Walia secretary, PCA joint.Currently, the college is putting up a mesh around the boundary wall at a cost of rs 8 lakh.
The Khalsa College cricket ground foundation was laid on January 6, 1936 by Sardar Sundar Singh Majithia, president, Khalsa College Council, Amritsar. At that time Bishen Singh was the principal of the college. It is one of the oldest cricket pitches in the north region.
“We are in the process of signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the college through the AGA. Once the MOU is in place, we will, as per the agreement, provide the college with equipment for the upkeep of the ground. The PCA might also go ahead and give 50% subsidy for building a small pavilion, dressing rooms and other facilities. But everything depends on terms and conditions of the tripartite agreement between AGA, PCA and the college,” said GS Walia secretary, PCA joint.Currently, the college is putting up a mesh around the boundary wall at a cost of rs 8 lakh.
The Khalsa College cricket ground foundation was laid on January 6, 1936 by Sardar Sundar Singh Majithia, president, Khalsa College Council, Amritsar. At that time Bishen Singh was the principal of the college. It is one of the oldest cricket pitches in the north region.