Farmers oppose Bengaluru’s new international cricket stadium

Farmers have opposed the construction of a new international cricket stadium at Suryanagar 4th Phase in Anekal taluk, on the southeastern outskirts of Bengaluru.

The stadium, with a seating capacity of 80,000, is billed to be the second-largest cricket stadium in the country once completed and is proposed to be built at an estimated cost of ₹943.46 crore on ​​70 acres of land belonging to the Karnataka Housing Board.

Local farmers have opposed the project, stating that it could be developed at a distance of just 1.5 km from the Bannerghatta National Park (BNP) and that it lies in proximity to the Karadikkal-Mahadeshwara wildlife corridor.

At a press conference on Tuesday, local farmers said that building a huge stadium in this area will have a serious and adverse impact on the environment and wildlife.

“It is hard to imagine what kind of adverse impact a huge stadium with a seating capacity of 80,000 spectators would have on the environment. The stadium’s massive floodlights, cheering of spectators during the matches, the traffic congestion and commercialisation will only increase the human-animal conflict,” the farmers said.

They also highlighted the Supreme Court constituted Central Empowered Committee report, which has recommended restoring a 2016 draft notification and cancelling the 2020 notification, which reduces the Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) around the BNP.

According to this report, the ESZ initially proposed around BNP in the draft notification dated June 15, 2016, covering an area of 268.96 sq. km, was reduced to 181.57 sq. km and thereafter to 168.84 sq. km in the final notification dated March 11, 2020.

Members of the Karnataka Rasthra Samithi Party who are supporting the farmers questioned whether an Environmental Impact Assessment has been done for the project.

Raghu Janagere from the party alleged that a Cabinet Minister in the State government and a legislator have illegally acquired huge tracts of land around BNP and that the stadium is being built to increase their land value.

He added that a Special Investigation Team should be formed to probe into these allegations.