Himachal Pradesh : Cricket Stadium to Come Up in Kaza at ₹8.5 Crore Cost

A cricket stadium worth ₹8.5 crore will be constructed in Kaza, Lahaul and Spiti district, to strengthen sports infrastructure and provide better facilities for local youth.

Kaza (Lahaul and Spiti): A cricket stadium will be constructed in Kaza at an estimated cost of ₹8.5 crore, aimed at providing improved sporting facilities to the youth of the tribal district.

Lahaul and Spiti MLA Anuradha Rana made the announcement while addressing the closing ceremony of the five-day Ice Hockey Spiti Cup in Kaza on Wednesday. She said Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju had laid the foundation stone of the proposed world-class stadium and construction work would begin soon.

Boost to Winter Sports

Rana praised the Ice Hockey Association-Spiti for successfully organising the tournament and promoting winter sports in the region. She said ice skating activities had been held regularly in Kaza for the past six years, while the Ice Hockey Spiti Cup had been organised for the past two years.

Teams from all four zones of the Spiti Valley — Tod, Centre, Sham and Pin — participated in the tournament, with men’s and women’s teams as well as Under-18 boys and girls competing. Teams from Shimla, Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti districts also took part, with more than 270 players participating overall.

She said players selected during the tournament would get opportunities to compete at national and international levels.

Tourism and Employment Benefits

The MLA emphasised that such sporting events not only promote interest among youth in ice hockey and other winter sports but also serve as a platform to showcase emerging talent.

She noted that the growing popularity of winter sports events was contributing to increased tourist footfall in Spiti, generating employment opportunities for local youth.

Rana said children and youth from Lahaul and Spiti had brought laurels to the district, state and country through achievements in ice hockey and other sports.

Infrastructure and Support Announcements

Responding to a demand by the Ice Hockey Association Spiti for ₹10 lakh to purchase equipment, Rana said ₹7 lakh had already been sanctioned and announced an additional ₹3 lakh to meet the requirement.

She further stated that to ensure uninterrupted power supply in Spiti, 66/22 KV substations would be established at Sumdo and Kaza.

The MLA performed the ceremonial pack drop before the men’s final between Centre Zone and Sham Zone and later distributed trophies to winners and runners-up.

Earlier, SDM Kaza Dikshit Rana welcomed the chief guest and presented her with a statue of Lord Buddha, a memento and a traditional ‘Thangka’ painting.

Among those present were DSP Ajay Bhardwaj, TAC member Veer Bhagat, former Panchayat Pradhan Sonam Dolma, former Zila Parishad member Punam, Royal Enfield in-charge Aditi, Chief Coach and Indian Ice Hockey Federation member Amit Belwal, along with officials from various departments and members of the Ice Hockey Association Spiti.

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