Ghaziabad: Former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi has triggered a fresh debate over the proposed international cricket stadium in the city, questioning the project’s prolonged delay, the utilisation of funds released by BCCI, and the change in the proposed site.In a series of posts on X, Modi sought public accountability over the project, alleging inconsistencies in land selection and asking whether an independent audit and inquiry had ever been carried out. UP Cricket Association (UPCA) and Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA), however, rejected the allegations, insisting that the project is progressing within the legal framework after initial planning hurdles.Modi questioned why BCCI released Rs 22.6 crore to UPCA in 2016 and asked why no time-bound progress report or public audit of the expenditure had been placed before cricket followers. He also alleged that while the original proposal was for a stadium at Gram Bhanera in Loni, the project was later shifted to Morti, which he described as a low-lying, flood-prone site near the Hindon and unsuitable because of its proximity to the Hindon civil terminal.
Lalit Modi questioned why BCCI released Rs 22.6 crore to UPCA in 2016 and asked why no time-bound progress report or public audit of the expenditure had been placed
The proposed stadium is around 300 metres from the Hindon river and 11km from the Hindon Air Force Station, which also operates civilian flights.In separate questions directed at UP govt, Modi asked why there had been no transparent clarification regarding the land acquired for the project, why no independent inquiry had been ordered, and who should be held accountable for the delay and any possible misuse of public money or land.When contacted by TOI, BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla declined to comment on the allegations. “Everyone knows that I, for BCCI, don’t respond to Lalit Modi,” he said, referring further queries to UPCA.UPCA vice-president Rakesh Mishra dismissed the allegations as baseless, saying GDA had only facilitated the acquisition of 31 acres for the stadium. He noted that CM Yogi Adityanath formally announced the project in Nov 2018 and attended its groundbreaking ceremony in June 2019, while Rajeev Shukla and then Ghaziabad MP Gen VK Singh (retired) laid the foundation stone in March 2024.“Do you think the entire state apparatus involved in the project would be complicit in anything illegal or against the norms,” Mishra sought to know.Explaining the delay, Mishra said a dispute between GDA and UPCA over floor area ratio (FAR) had stalled progress of the project. “That issue has now been resolved under the new building bylaws, and construction of the boundary wall has begun,” he said, adding that the stadium is targeted for completion by the end of 2028.GDA officials said the Rs 450-crore project is now being developed jointly by the authority and UPCA. They said the stadium design has been revised, traffic mobility studies completed and presentations made to senior govt officials, with a final presentation to the chief minister scheduled shortly. The stadium is planned to seat 35,000-40,000 spectators. Around Rs 70 crore has already been spent on land acquisition.
