T. Narasipur: Amid growing opposition to the proposed stadium on the premises of the Karnataka Silk Industries Corporation (KSIC) Filature Factory at T. Narasipur, MLC Dr. Yathindra Siddaramaiah has made it clear that the project will go ahead at the same location.

His statement comes even as Mysuru District in-Charge Minister Dr. H.C. Mahadevappa had indicated that the stadium would be shifted to an alternative location if silk production was affected.

Speaking to reporters at Old Thirumakudalu yesterday, Dr. Yathindra Siddaramaiah said that the Revenue Department has already transferred the land to the Sports Department and there is no proposal to relocate the stadium project. At the same time, he assured that the KSIC factory would not be closed under any circumstances.

The stadium, he said, is intended to benefit local youth by providing better training facilities and encouraging  sporting talent.

Emphasising that KSIC is a Government-run unit providing employment to hundreds of workers, he said shutting it down would harm both employees and the local economy. “We will not allow the factory to close,” he asserted.

He also dismissed reports suggesting that the factory would be shut, terming them misleading and unnecessary. While acknowledging that workers have raised certain technical concerns, he said that the officials had examined alternative sites before identifying five acres within the KSIC premises as the most suitable. “If there are still doubts, let us sit and discuss them,” he said, adding that technical issues would be addressed and workers reassured.

Asked whether the stadium would indeed come up on the same land, Dr. Yathindra replied, “Yes, it will be built there.”