District Minister bats for Stadium at Varakodu in Varuna

Mysore/Mysuru: After months of efforts, parleys and communications between the Urban Development Department, Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), it now looks like Mysuru city has finally lost out on the International Cricket Stadium to be built by Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA).

The state-of-the-art Stadium will now be built at Varakodu, according to Mysuru District Minister Dr. H.C. Mahadevappa. This comes after much controversy over the previous location of the stadium, which was to be built on 20 acres of land adjacent to the Regional Centre of Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) situated on the Outer Ring Road at Sathagalli in the city.

Speaking at Meet-the-Press organised by the Mysore District Journalists Association (MDJA) at Pathrakarthara Bhavan in the city yesterday, Dr. Mahadevappa stated, “The Stadium will be built at Varakodu on the city outskirts in Varuna Constituency with MUDA land,” he said.

“Former international cricketers Srinath and Anil Kumble had met me and Chief Minister Siddharamaiah during the previous tenure of the Congress government, when I was PWD Minister, with regard to the Stadium. There is a proposal to establish the Stadium at Varakodu by sanctioning land from MUDA for the purpose,” he said.

The location of stadium at Varakodu is seen as a more suitable location as it is located on the outskirts of the city and has good connectivity to Bengaluru. It is also away from residential areas, which was a major concern for many people who opposed the previous location.

The construction of the Stadium with a capacity of 50,000 spectators is expected to cost around Rs. 100 crore and will be equipped with all the latest facilities. It is expected to boost the growth of cricket in Mysuru and attract international matches here.

It may be recalled here that the MUDA designated a 20-acre and 20-gunta plot of land in Hanchya-Sathagalli for the Stadium. Situated in Hanchya-Sathagalli Layout ‘B Zone’, the land is positioned to the south of the VTU Regional Centre, enclosed by roads on all sides. It is located between Deve Gowda Circle and KSRTC Sathagalli Bus Depot.

The MUDA agreed to lease the land to KSCA for a period of 30 years at a cost of Rs. 2,100 per square metre, totalling Rs. 18 crore.

The land encompasses

Survey Nos. 84, 85, 88, 104, 105, 107, 109, and 106. Survey No. 106 contains a Government water body and the clearance for land allotment lies with the Revenue Department, pending approval from the State Government.