Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that the world is connecting with India through cricket and the new stadium here will benefit the locals.
"Today in Varasani, the foundation has been laid for an international stadium. A lot of cricket matches will happen here and it will benefit (the people) of Varanasi. Today, through cricket, the world is connecting with India. In the coming days, the number of cricket games will increase and so we will need new stadiums. The stadium in Varanasi will be a boon for people here," Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"This is the first stadium in Uttar Pradesh which is being built with the help of BCCI. As a Member of Parliament (MP) from Varanasi, I thank the BCCI office-bearers," quipped PM Modi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was speaking after laying the foundation stone of an international cricket stadium here. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and BCCI secretary Jay Shah among others were present on the occasion.
"I want to welcome the Prime Minister on behalf of all sportspersons here. Former players Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, G Viswanath, Ravi Shastri, Madan Lal, Gopal Sharma, Shubhangi Kulkarni, Neetu David, Roger Binny, cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar, Dilip Vengsarkar, BCCI secretary Jay Shah and senior office bearer and Congress leader Rajiv Shukla are present on the occasion and I also welcome them," said Yogi Aditynath in his opening remarks.
"This will be Uttar Pradesh's third international cricket and will give a chance for fans of the eastern stadium and Bihar to connect with the game," added the Uttar Pradesh CM. He also lauded taken by the Narendra Modi-led government to promote sports in the country.
This will be the third International Cricket Stadium in Uttar Pradesh after Green Park (Kanpur) and Atal Bihari Vajpayee Stadium in the capital Lucknow.
The International Stadium will have the capacity to house 30,000 spectators, which could be increased at a later stage, and several other state-of-the-art facilities.
The Uttar Pradesh government said that it has spent Rs 121 crore to acquire the land for the stadium while the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will spend Rs 330 crore on its construction. To be built near the Ring Road in Rajatalab area, the stadium is likely to be ready by December 2025. The spectators' gallery of the stadium would resemble the steps of the ghats of Varanasi.
Also read: "Credit for G20 Summit's success goes to all of you," PM Modi at interaction with Team G20
