Stadium crisis

KOCHI: The dreams of Kerala hosting test and one-day matches have been put on hold, thanks to the decision of the Ministry of Environment and Forests disallowing sanction for the Kerala Cricket Association’s (KCA) proposed stadium in Edakochi.  Though the KCA officials are confident of obtaining the sanction and executing the project, it will not be a cake walk for them. The KCA is pinning its hopes on an environment impact study that will be submitted to the government regarding the benefits of the project. The project is at a standstill following the Ministry’s order that construction of any kind of structures at the site would not be allowed deeming it to be under the purview of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ)-1. The environmentalists have also raised protests against the KCA and said that the preliminary work done at the site were in violation of the Coastal Protection Act and that mangroves in the area were axed down for the purpose. However, the delay in the project will surely be a setback to the cricket fans in the state as JN Stadium in Kaloor will remain to be the  venue for hosting international cricket matches. Since the stadium is not an exclusive cricket stadium, the chances for watching more live cricket will be less. Likewise, the growth of football in the city is also facing a similar ‘stadium crisis’. However, Minister for Sports K B Ganesh Kumar recently had rekindled the hopes of football lovers and said that the state government was seriously looking at options for acquiring land to build an exclusive stadium for football. He said the Ministry was considering the possibilities of constructing an exclusive football stadium at the KINFRA project site in Kalamassery .The Kerala Football Association (KFA) is also hopeful about the Minister’ s statement. “The Minister has asked the authorities concerned to conduct a survey and identify a suitable plot. We are hopeful of getting a positive response from the state soon,” said K M I Mather, president, KFA.