The much awaited football stadium in the capital city at Campal has been waiting to see the light of the day for more than two-and-half years. However Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA), the executing body for the project, has attributed the delay due to certain approvals and clearances.
GSUDA had prepared a detailed report for the stadium in 2015 and sent the project proposal to North Goa Planning and Development Authority (NGPDA) for approval. However, now the project was in a limbo with the NGPDA as GSUDA has sought changes in the land use and wanted to utilise 25 per cent of the land for commercial purpose.
The stadium will be spread over an area approximately 40,000 sq. mts, of which the GSUDA has sought to convert 10,000 sq. mts of the constructed area into commercial establishments.
Speaking to Herald, GSUDA, Chief Project Officer, Jagadish Hosamani said “We are just waiting for the NOC from the Town and Country Planning (TCP) as the land belongs to them. This NOC is set to come in the next few days. Currently we have sent the file for the approval of the Chief Minister for which he has already granted an in-principle approval. There were a set of suggestions from the CM which we have incorporated and sent to him”.
The project will be executed in six phases over a period of 18 months and will convert the existing area, which is a waste dump, into a stadium with high mast lighting, dedicated parking and office space. The first phase of clearing the garbage from the area has been finished. The total cost of the stadium is estimated to be around Rs 45 crores said Hosamani.
However, GSUDA has already awarded the works of pavilion construction to Prakash Constrowell Ltd. from Nasik which has constructed the Sports Authority of Goa (SAG) Ground at Bambolim while the piling work has been awarded to Shreejikrupa Project Limited from Ahmedabad. Collage Design from Mumbai is the principal consultant for the architectural works.
Meanwhile, the project was approved by the Manohar Parrikar government in November 2014, just before he resigned as Chief Minister to become Defence Minister of the country and the foundation stone was laid by him in May 2016.
The stadium has been a long pending promise of Parrikar, who as CM in 2003, had demolished the Bandodkar Football Stadium in the heart of the city to make way for the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) infrastructure. However, consecutive governments defaulted in fulfilling the demand and the promise made by the government in 2003.
