Varanasi: Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah on Saturday presented Prime Minister Narendra Modi with an Indian cricket team jersey with "NAMO" inscribed on it.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for a new international cricket stadium in Varanasi, his Lok Sabha constituency.
The international cricket stadium in Varanasi will be a step towards realising the Prime Minister’s vision to develop modern world-class sports infrastructure. The modern international cricket stadium, to be built in Ganjari, Rajatalab, Varanasi will be developed in a more than 30-acre area, at a cost of about Rs 450 crores.
The Uttar Pradesh government has spent Rs 121 crore on land acquisition for the stadium while the BCCI will spend a further Rs 330 crore on its construction.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, BCCI president Roger Binny and vice-president Rajeev Shukla also attended the event.
Among other cricketing stalwarts attending the event were Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, and former India international and head coach Ravi Shastri.
Shah and Binny also presented a specially signed bat to PM Modi.
"I feel happy and privileged to welcome PM Narendra Modi to the laying of the foundation stone for the new cricket stadium in Varanasi. This is the first time that he is visiting the state to lay the foundation stone for a cricket stadium. I welcome him on behalf of every cricket enthusiast in the state," CM Adityanath said at the ceremony.
The thematic architecture of this stadium draws inspiration from Lord Shiva, with crescent-shaped roof covers, trident-shaped floodlights, seating arrangements bearing resemblance to the ghats of Varanasi, and Bilvipatra-shaped metallic sheets on the facade. The stadium will have a capacity to seat 30,000 spectators.
This will be Uttar Pradesh's third international cricket stadium after Kanpur and Lucknow.
