Plan raid out for World’s highest Cricket stadium in the state of Himachal Pradesh as district cricket association of Lahaul-Spiti, one of the coldest places in the country, has decided to build a cricket stadium on 3.2 hectares land at an altitude of 10,235 feet above the sea level . If the plan succeeds then one of the remotest places in the country will come on the cricket map.
According to a report in Times of India, the District Cricket Association of Lahaul –Spiti has been planning to construct s stadium in the Sissu village. It the stadium finally becomes reality then it will one of the picturesque stadiums in the World as it will be located on the Himalayan tribal belt adjacent to a lake, snow clad mountains and the Chenab river.
At present the Chali cricket ground near Shimla is the highest cricket stadium located at 7,380 feet above of sea level. Dharmashala stadium is another beautiful stadium the Himalayan state has where international matches and IPL matches regularly take place.
“We have a very small amount in the bank account but this is not going to stop us from realizing the dream,” said Surinder Thakur, president of the association. “In fact, small amounts have already started flowing in from The area demarcated for the cricket stadium in Spiti Valley. The site for the proposed cricket stadium is next to Sissu lake, off the Manali-Leh highway, not far from the northern end of the under-construction, all-weather Rohtang Pass tunnel the people of the region, ” Congress MLA Ravi Thakur said.
Lahaul –Spiti is known as a popular summer tourist destination for adventure loving people. In winter the district use to get disconnected from the state as snow covered the entire district and temperature notch below zero degree. So, building a cricket stadium in this mountainous region will not be an easy task.
According that national newspaper financial assistance from Board of Control for Cricket in India and the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association unlikely to come since the state has one international cricket stadium; and in this remote area international cricket is unlikely to happen as communication system is not good. Lahul –Spiti cricket association, however, planned to meet BCCI joint secretary and HPCA president Anurag Thakur for his assistance.
But, local congress MLA Ravi Thakur, who is also Vice-chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled , assured the Lahaul –Spiti District Cricket Association that Himachal Pradesh government would provide all financial assistance. He said that Sissue is already a part of the Adarsha Gram Scheme and the stadium would be its integral part. “The stadium would be included in the tribal sub plan next year,” he said. “There would be no dearth of funds.”
Lahaul –Spiti District Cricket Association has already got clearance from the forest department; and is expected that the stadium will build on the lines of HPCA stadium Dharmasala.
General secretary of district cricket association Kishan Rana said that in the past the residents of Lahul-Spiti have formed cooperative societies for marketing their potato crop that help them to build hydropower projects.