Floodlights yet to see light of day at Gandhi ground
Neeraj Bagga
Tribune News Service
Amritsar, November 21
Floodlights at the Gandhi Cricket ground are yet to be installed. An announcement in this regard was made in 2009. Five companies had shown their interest for installing floodlights after tenders were floated.
The eight-decade-old cricket stadium where national and international players like Madan Lal, Mohinder Amarnath, Bishan Singh Bedi, Surinder Amarnath, Sarandeep Singh and Harvinder Singh honed their skills is still struggling to find its space in the domestic cricket.
After a gap of nearly seven years, it managed to host a Ranji trophy match this year.
Though the ground hosted many international and domestic cricket tournaments, its construction is yet to be completed. At several points, steps are missing while the existing ones are in a ramshackle state.
The outfield seems to be in a good condition as the pitch is surrounded by lush green grass.
Significantly, many portions around the ground still lie vacant where staircases are yet to be constructed. If completed, it would increase the present capacity of the stadium to 40,000.
Established in 1932 with a generous donation from Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala and the then Punjab Government, the ground is spread over 22 acres.
Subsequently, Guru Nanak Stadium, badminton hall, AGA Club, Cosmo Club, Virsa Vihar and others were formed out of it. The cricket stadium is situated in nine acres.
The first match was played between India XI and MCC in 1933. The Indian cricket team was led by Maharaja Bhupinder Singh while other famous players were Lala Amarnath, Col CK Naidu and Surjit Singh Majithia.
The cricket ground has hosted several international matches, including those against West Indies, Australia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and England. The Indian cricket team had played against Sri Lanka here in 1983. The North Zone cricket team had played against West Indies in 1984. The ground hosted World XI and New Zealand in 1995.
Pardeep Saini, president of the Amritsar Games Assoication, who administers the Gandhi Cricket ground, said they managed to get the rights to host two Ranji matches this season and two matches of the North Zone under-16 next month.
He said, “A huge amount is required to install floodlights at the ground. Before this, it was necessary to build the entire stadium. Efforts are on firstly to raise the seating capacity from present 15,000 to 25,000 people. After getting funds from the BCCI, Punjab Cricket Association, AGA and state government, the ground can be completed.”
