Indian Express 14.12.2009
No developer in sight, govt hands over sports complex project to LDA
Having failed to find a developer for the proposed cricket stadium-cum-sports complex in Lucknow, the government has assigned the task of constructing the international standard stadium to the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA).
The project will come up on the 100 acres area near Amar Shaheed Path in the Arjunganj area and is estimated to cost the government Rs 313 crore.
The government had announced the project in 2008 soon after the Ambedkar Sports Complex in Gomti Nagar was demolished and its land was incorporated with the Ambedkar Memorial. It was included among the projects to be developed under the Integrated Urban Rejuvenation Plan (IURP).
Awas Bandhu, the nodal agency of IURP, invited bids for the sports complex several times till June 2009 but no developer turned up.
“The sports complex project was recently given to the LDA, which has started the process for selection of a developer,” said Mukesh Kumar Meshram, Vice-Chairman of LDA. It has invited offers for pre-qualification to design and build the sports complex
The LDA authorities, however, remain sceptical about the response, given the fact that no developers had come forward when the project was being handled by the government.
The complex is proposed to have facilities to host international cricket matches and other sports activities. The complex will include a cricket stadium with a seating capacity of 50,000, an indoor stadium with a seating capacity of 5,000, a football-cum-athletic stadium with a seating capacity of 30,000, a hockey field with a seating capacity of 25,000, tennis courts, an aquatic complex with provision of diving, warm-up and racing pools; hostels, administrative block, parking, and restaurants with allied facilities.
