Indian government may construct modern cricket stadium
By Mark Ramotar
Guyana Chronicle
September 4, 2003
PRESIDENT Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday announced that the Indian Government has agreed to consider the possibility of constructing a modern multi-million-dollar cricket stadium here in Guyana.
The President, at a news conference at the Presidential Secretariat, said this commitment was given to him by the Indian Government during his just concluded successful State visit to India.
According to him, the issue of Guyana’s lack of a modern cricket stadium and the importance of having one to, among other things, have any real chance of being host to at least one match in the prestigious Cricket World Cup to be staged in the Caribbean in 2007 was raised with the Indian Government.
The Guyanese Head of State told reporters he was very pleased when the Indian Government agreed to consider the possibility of constructing a modern cricket stadium here in Guyana. He said the Indian Government asked for a proposal of the project, which he promised to send to India as soon as it is ready. This is expected to be as early as next week.
The President said he spoke to Mr. Norman McLean, the Chairman of the Guyana World Cup Committee, which was mandated to do a feasibility study on the construction of such a stadium, and told him that he has to come up with a concept paper stating “what our needs are, what size of stadium, capacity and what are some of the features the stadium must have to allow us to qualify for the World Cup.”
President Jagdeo, however, acknowledged that “time is of essence because we have to be ready to present initial concepts by November”. The President said he communicated this to the Indian Government. “So we have to be prepared to move swiftly on this,” he assured.
The President also noted that the Guyana Government has been in engagement with private companies about erecting a modern multi-purpose stadium here.
‘The President admitted that Guyana has long lacked a multi-purpose stadium.
“The Indian Government has asked us to send a proposal and I just spoke to Mr. McLean to prepare a preliminary document so that we can send it off early,” President Jagdeo said, adding, “we are keeping our fingers crossed”.
The President noted that in terms of the private proposals, “the people who make these proposals still have to go back and do feasibility studies to get their financiers to either agree to the projects or not because ultimately for them it’s a business venture as they will have to recover their money with a profit.”
It is in this regard that President Jagdeo viewed the offer by the Indian Government “as an advance on those proposals”.
The Guyanese Head of State, however, noted that there is still room for private investment because there are many other requirements outside of the stadium that Guyana would have to work on to qualify for the hosting of at least one of the 2007 Cricket World Cup games.
In this regard, the President pointed out that in terms of hotels, the intention is “to build 500 houses to put eight persons each in a house to accommodate about 4 000 people here”.
“We need to build those houses and maybe after the World Cup sell those to private individuals (so) there are lots of work and opportunities for private investment,” the President stated.
According to Dehring, the GCB would have to ensure that all seating accommodation is covered and that practice pitches are sited within the complex, among other requirements.