BALLARI: Soon the mine-rich district of Ballari will have cricketing talents coming from its own land. Aiming for the same, the district administration and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) have agreed to establish an international standard cricket stadium in Ballari.
The Ballari Municipal Corporation and MLA G Somashekara Reddy have recently finalized the site for a future stadium. Once given a go-ahead, the new stadium will come up at Hosapete-Bengaluru highway, which is located on the outskirts of Ballari.
The idea of new stadium is also to support new talents in cricket from Ballari. The district already has a cricket team by its name in Karnataka Premier League (KPL) - Ballari Tuskers. The stadium, once completed, will be the largest cricket ground in Kalyana Karnataka region.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, Chairman, Ballari Urban Development Authority (BUDA) Dammuru Shekara said that the administration had shown a site for the stadium at Haladahalli village on the outskirts of the district.
"The site next to Hosapete-Bengaluru highway and about 8 km from the city centre. A team from KSCA Tumakuru region visited the spot with administration officials recently. The total land that will be given for the stadium is about 40 acres. The proposal is at the administration level and soon a proposal in this regard will be submitted to the government by the administration," he said.
A resident from Ballari, Pradeep H, said that this move is welcomed but the administration must speed up the work. "Once the tenders are called, it will take a minimum of two years for the completion of the new stadium. Meanwhile the administration can also think of improving the grounds in the city and outskirts for the local youth to play and exercise," he suggested.