New Sports City with International Stadium Eyed Near Amaravati

The Government of Andhra Pradesh is moving ahead with plans to establish a large-scale sports city along the banks of the Krishna River near Moolapadu in NTR district. Approximately 1,600 acres of land in the vicinity of Pedalanka and Chinnalanka villages have been preliminarily identified for the project. The proposed sports city is expected to include advanced sports infrastructure and an international-standard cricket stadium.

Initially, the sports city was envisioned as part of the capital city Amaravati’s urban planning. However, due to the limited availability of land within the capital’s jurisdiction and the challenge of allocating a large enough area for such a project, the government began exploring alternative locations.

Subsequently, the area near Moolapadu on the opposite side of the Krishna River emerged as a viable option. Upon the completion of an iconic bridge connecting Amaravati and the national highway, this area will be in close proximity to the capital.

According to the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA), the current cricket stadium in Mangalagiri is not fully equipped to host international matches from a technical standpoint. As an alternative, ACA has proposed the construction of a new, large-scale stadium with a seating capacity of approximately 25,000 and comprehensive facilities including parking, within the proposed sports city.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reportedly agreed to bear 60 percent of the construction cost, while ACA will arrange the remaining 40 percent. Once completed, BCCI has expressed its willingness to allocate at least 10 international matches per year to the new stadium.

In this context, Minister for Municipal Administration P. Narayana, accompanied by local Members of the Legislative Assembly, Vijayawada Member of Parliament Kesineni Sivanath, and district officials, visited the proposed site on Monday. The minister instructed the formation of a committee led by the District Collector, including officials from the Water Resources Department and other concerned departments, to thoroughly examine the feasibility of the land and submit a comprehensive report within a month.

Minister P. Narayana stated that the vision is to construct the sports city to Olympic standards and that a final decision will be made based on the committee’s report. It is understood that the identified land includes both government-owned and patta (private title) lands, and the government is considering offering suitable compensation for land acquisition.