Daijiworld Media Network – Puttur (MS)

Puttur, Nov 19: There has been a huge demand since a decade to build an international level cricket stadium in the undivided district of Dakshina Kannada. Lands were identified for the same in Konaje of Mangaluru, Karkala in Udupi and Kabaka in Puttur. Now the state cabinet has taken the decision to build the stadium at Kabaka.

Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) will exchange the land related documents very soon with the government. The KSCA has chalked out a plan to build an international level cricket stadium at a cost of Rs 48.5 crore.

Anil Kumble had appealed to the state government about the need of an international level cricket stadium in Dakshina Kannada district in order to train local talent. Accordingly, the then deputy commissioner A B Ibrahim had informed the tahsildar through assistant commissioner (AC) to identify a land. In 2017, when Dr Rajendra K V was the AC of Puttur, he had identified a 23-acre land at Periyathodi of Kabaka for the purpose of building a cricket stadium. However, the local administration felt that the land is more suitable for government residential areas and objected to the construction of a cricket stadium. So the proposal was left halfway.

The stadium will be built in the model of Madikeri stadium which is being built at a cost of Rs 50 crore and it will be ready by 2024. It will have a swimming pool, restaurant, auditorium with a capacity of 1000 seats, Shuttle badminton, squash, billiards and Basketball court.

Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru has seating capacity of 40,000. The stadium at Kabaka will be bigger and unique. However, in the beginning, the stadium will be used only for training and staging Ranji and domestic matches. If international matches have to take place, modifications need to be done under the supervision of BCCI as per ICC rules.