Says will reclaim land if association fails to act, rejects new ground proposal
MAPUSA
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday informed the Goa Legislative Assembly that the Goa Cricket Association (GCA) has two years to begin work on the proposed cricket stadium at Dhargal or risk losing the 1.89 lakh square metres of government land leased to it.
Responding to a question raised by Pernem MLA Pravin Arlekar, Sawant said the GCA had shown no progress on the project despite signing an agreement nearly seven years ago.
“The GCA has not initiated any work on the site. A show-cause notice was issued last year, but we are not satisfied with the response. It appears that the GCA is not serious about building the stadium at Dhargal,” the Chief Minister said.
He added that while the land lease remains valid, the government will reclaim the property if no work begins within two years.
“We cannot compel them to build it at Dhargal alone. If they choose another site like Maulinge, we are willing to assist them there too,” Sawant stated.
Highlighting the prime location of the land, Sawant clarified that GCA had paid the necessary lease amount but had not obtained any of the permissions required for construction.
“If they do not act, we will take the land back,” he reiterated.
Raising the issue, Arlekar expressed frustration over the delay.
“Seven years have passed since the government handed over the land. There’s no sign of a stadium. When will the foundation stone be laid?” he asked.
Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao also questioned the government’s next course of action if GCA fails to meet the new deadline. “It’s been almost eight years now, and there is no progress,” he said.
Meanwhile, Arlekar proposed that the government acquire one lakh square metres of land in Pernem to develop a sports facility for local youth.
However, the CM rejected the suggestion, pointing out that several sports grounds across Goa remain unused. “There are around 153 grounds in the State, but barely 10 are being actively used. The rest are lying idle and have become white elephants,” Sawant said.
MLAs Vijai Sardesai (Fatorda), Jit Arolkar (Mandrem), and Premendra Shet (Mayem) also participated in the discussion, expressing concern over the lack of sports infrastructure planning and the under-utilisation of existing facilities.
