The Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) is all set to hand over 20.8 acres of land to the Karnataka state cricket association (KSCA) for the construction of a cricket stadium, officials said on Sunday.
MUDA has identified the land near the B-Zone of Hanchya – Satagalli village, bearing survey numbers 84, 85, 104, 105, 106, 102, and 109 on the outskirts of the city, they added.
The MUDA would lease the land to KSCA for 30 years and get ₹18 crore lease amount in return. The cultural city, which attracts lakhs of tourists every year, will now have another attraction for cricket lovers once the stadium is constructed.
“The KSCA has plans to build a world-class stadium in Mysuru that will be better than the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The MUDA has submitted the proposal to the state government already,” KSCA Mysuru zone convener S Sudhakar Rai said.
The Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru has a seating capacity of 32,000 and offers state-of-the-art facilities. The KSCA has an ambitious plan of upgrading the existing facility by increasing the seating capacity to 70,000, he added.
After the construction of the world-class stadium, important matches, including Ranji Trophy and Indian Premier League (IPL), will be conducted here, said Rai.
During a press conference in Bengaluru recently, Indian cricket board (BCCI) president Roger Binny said that the IPL tournaments will not be restricted to Bengaluru but would spread its wings to smaller cities like Mysuru, Hubballi-Dharwad and Belagavi.
“I inspected the spot yesterday with the officials. The KSCA office bearers also agreed to the place identified by MUDA. A proposal, along with necessary documents, has been sent to the state government. Chief minister Basavaraj Bommai has also responded positively,” MUDA president Yashasvini Somashekar said.
“The land which has been identified for construction of the stadium is the same one identified in 2016. We are expecting that the proposal would get the approval of the state cabinet soon,” he added.
The ambitious Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway will be open to the public in March. The highway would reduce the travelling journey of 118 kilometres from the present 3.5 hours to 90 minutes.
The improvement of connectivity between the two cities would fuel trade and industrial activity in Mysuru. As the KSCA plans to conduct IPL matches in this new stadium, it would also boost the development of the cultural city, said Somashekar.
