ctober 24, 2010 was the last time the Goan cricket fans got to see the international stars in action during India Australia international.
Thereafter, the GCA decided it would not host any matches until it has a stadium of its own.
The GCA has made several attempts to acquire grounds for itself but for some “known” or “unknown” reasons the dream could not materialise.
Goa did have a cricket stadium after the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Fatorda, which was built in a record 6 months time by the then Sports Minister Monte (D’) Cruz.
It was opened in 1989 as a football only stadium but in less than a year was redeveloped to include cricket.
On October 25, 1989 the first cricket ODI was played between Australia and Sri Lanka.
Goa hosted total six cricket matches but in 2010 it was the last after criticism from various quarters as hosting cricket matches meant closing the ground for three months for football for preparation of cricket pitch.
Finally, GCA said it was enough and would not host any international match until it has its own stadium.
After that there have been several attempts made to have a stadium but as the ministers changed so did the venues.
THE GROUND STORY SO FAR
The former GCA president Dayanand Narvekar was quite enthusiastic about the stadium for GCA but somehow failed to convert his dream into reality.
He first planned a stadium at Gurim but the farmers “no-balled” a cricket stadium thereafter.
After which, then sports minister Sanjay Bandekar took a press conference to announce the cricket stadium at St Cruz but the locals along with politicians opposed the move.
He also wanted to shift the “unbuilt” stadium to Canacona but that plan also ran out of steam.
But the real efforts began only after 2007, when Narvekar was Finance minister in Digambar Kamat government, he took land at Thivim on lease.
The area of 136000 square metre was taken on 36 year lease in 2010 at a lease amount of Rs 1.05 cr.
The GCA hired an architect he did the plan for Stadium but villages went to court claiming that some part was forest area.
Following the opposition the government backtracked and decided to revoke all permissions.
Thereafter, in 2013-14, the GCA under the presidentship of Vinod Phadke deposited Rs 7.5 crore with the government for a land at Dhargal but the government did not give land and the idea was then scrapped.In 2015, GCA under Dr Shekhar Salkar, bought land of 2.92 lakh square metres at Maulinguem, Bicholim.
Out of this, 60,000 square metres was converted for stadium. But after Dr Salkar was dethroned as the president of GCA by Chetan Desai faction, permission were not granted for stadium, due to political reasons.In the last AGM in October, acting president Suraj Lotlikar, who is also the Goa Forward treasurer, said that he will get the ground from the government at Dhargalim and will build the stadium.
GOVT OWES GCA Rs 8.5 cr SINCE 2010
Presently the government owes GCA about Rs 7.5 crore as deposit for Dhargal and another Rs 1.05 crore as lease for Thivim land.GCA sources reveal, then president Salkar met Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar several times but to no avail.
Thereafter the GCA came up with a proposal that government instead give them land in different talukas for small grounds but that too did not work out.
BACK TO DHARGAL
The new GCA secretary Daya Pagui says that the Sports Minister Babu Azgaonkar has announced in the assembly that land will be given to GCA at Dhargal.
“The land at Thivim has been identified and sports minister Babu Azgaonkar has been very supportive in this regard,” he said.Pagui also said that the acting president Suraj Lotlikar has been working in tandem with the government to get land for GCA.
MINISTER SPEAKS
Minister for Sports Manohar Azgaonkar has states that 2 lakh sq mtrs of the land at Dhargalim will be given to the cricketing body of Goa on lease for the construction of international cricket stadium.
Minister was replying to the private member resolution moved by ruling MLA Rajesh Patnekar stating whether well-equipped cricket stadium of international standard will get for Goa.
Azgaonkar said that the land would be shortly handed over to the Goa Cricket Association (GCA) for the construction of world class cricket stadium at Dhargalim.
