Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the “flourishing” sports culture across the nation, saying that Ahmedabad hosting the 2030 Commonwealth Games and India bidding for the 2036 Olympics can work wonders to boost the morale of homegrown talent.
The chief minister was speaking after performing the bhoomi pujan and laying the foundation for the first phase of an international cricket stadium at Tal Nador in Gorakhpur, to be built on 46 acres of land for ₹393 crore.
He also announced the development of a world-class sports complex alongside the cricket stadium, saying the projects would transform the region into a major hub for sports and economic activity.
He said the complex would provide modern infrastructure for both indoor and outdoor sports while generating large-scale employment opportunities for local youth.
“The stadium is being built with the help of the Union ministry of petroleum and natural gas, and it will have all the required facilities. We have also reserved an additional 60 acres of land next to it, where a sports complex will be constructed,” Adityanath said. Union minister of petroleum and natural gas Hardeep Singh Puri was also present at the event.
The international cricket stadium will have a seating capacity of 30,000 spectators.
“The international cricket stadium and sports complex will transform the entire area. Hotels, restaurants and new markets will emerge here, creating large employment opportunities for local youth,” the chief minister said.
The chief minister said that in 2014, Prime Minister Modi coined the slogan “Khelo India”, and later, he gave a call for a “Fit India” movement.
“A new sporting culture is flourishing across the nation, leading to greater participation in global events such as the Olympics, Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games,” he said.
“Ahmedabad is scheduled to host the Commonwealth Games in 2030. India has also made a bid to host the 2036 Olympic Games. Such efforts show how Prime Minister Modi is enhancing India’s participation in international events and providing homegrown athletes with an opportunity to showcase their potential on home soil,” he said.
Noting that it is the government’s responsibility to provide the requisite infrastructure, he said the Uttar Pradesh government is providing this throughout the state.
“We are also constructing the Major Dhyan Chand Sports University in Meerut, which will be inaugurated during the current academic session. We already launched the academic programme for it last year,” he added.
He said that an international cricket stadium is coming up in Varanasi with support from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Highlighting the transformation of the Tal Nador area, Adityanath said the land, which was “barren and encroached upon” a few years ago, was now being developed into a major sports and development hub under the state government’s public welfare initiatives.
The chief minister said Uttar Pradesh had already provided direct government jobs to more than 534 medal-winning athletes and that recruitment for another 500 sportspersons would begin soon.
Welcoming Puri at the event, Adityanath praised the Union minister for ensuring fuel supply stability amid the ongoing crisis in West Asia. He also thanked public sector oil companies, including Indian Oil Corporation and Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, for contributing ₹100 crore through CSR funds for the cricket stadium project.
The chief minister later planted a sapling. The stadium project is expected to be completed within 19 months.
(With PTI inputs)
