In what is now marked as a momentous occasion in India's rich sporting heritage, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid down the foundation stone of an international cricket stadium that is to be built in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
On Friday, the Prime Minister, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and former India cricketers Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri and Dilip Vengsarkar were present for the stone-laying ceremony of the stadium as the Varanasi residents witnessed history in the making.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifted Indian cricket team jersey
Celebrating the historic event, Tendulkar gifted a Team India jersey with 'Namo' written at the back and numbered 1 to PM Modi.
#WATCH | Sachin Tendulkar with PM Modi and CM Yogi Adityanath at the event to mark the foundation stone laying of an international cricket stadium in Varanasi, UP pic.twitter.com/TjgIHNrelD
— ANI (@ANI) September 23, 2023
The one-of-a-kind stadium will be constructed in Varanasi, which is also PM Modi's parliamentary constituency.
What are the features of the new Varanasi Stadium?
The build of the stadium will be inspired by Lord Shiva. Planned to be constructed near the Ring Road in the Rajatalab area, the stadium will have elements dedicated to the Hindu deity.
It will have crescent-shaped roof covers, trident-shaped floodlights, ghat steps-based seating, and Bilvi Patra-shaped metallic sheets on the facade.
It will have a seating capacity of around 30,000 people.
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What will be the cost of building the new Varanasi stadium
To acquire the 20-acre land, the Uttar Pradesh government has already spent 121 crore. The amount for its construction will be paid to the Board of Control for Cricket India (BCCI), which has allocated a budget of 331 crore for the same.
This will be the third international cricket stadium in Uttar Pradesh after Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow, and Green Park Stadium, Kanpur.
