Govt Handover Land for ACC Academy

National Sports Council (NSC) has handed over the 246-ropanies of land at Mulpani, Kathmandu to the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) for the construction of the Asian Cricket Council’s Central Cricket Academy amidst a ceremony today.

In the program, Minister for Education and Sports Bimalendra Nidhi and NSC member-secretary Kishor Bahadur Singh handed over the NSC’s letter to CAN president Jai Kumar Nath Shah. The NSC-owned land has been leased to CAN for 30 years as requested by ACC.

Shah called the day ‘memorable for cricket lovers.’ “After so many hiccups, the government is going to handover the land,” Shah said. “I should thank NSC and the government for this.”

“We are pleased to provide land for the sports development,” Singh said at the program. “I hope this remarkable project will complete in time so that we can benefit from it.”

ACC-assigned architect Graeme Watson from Australia said the facilities to be built at Mulpani will help Nepali cricket to reach the world standard. “Nepali cricket will benefit from the facilities,” he said. “I am looking forward to developing the academy here.”

ACC chose Nepal as the venue for its central cricket academy more than a year back but the project was lingering due to unavailability of land. The academy when complete will consist a playing field, indoor and outdoor practice nets, dormitory accommodation for at least 25 players, five residential homes for coaches, a full-fledged gymnasium, a treatment area, changing room, office administration building and a parking area.

The land still need leveling which should be done by CAN before ACC starts the construction of academy. Shah admitted it would cost around Rs. 1.2m and take around three months. “We have told ACC that they can start construction in March next year,” Shah said. Watson believed the initial construction would complete within a year once it got started.

On the occasion, Cricket Asustralia’s Rose Turner was also present along with CAN vice-presidents Sriniwas Rana, Sriharsha Koirala, TB Shah, Binaya Raj Pandey, treasurer Shashi Raj Subedi, coach Roy Luke Dias and other CAN officials.