Tripura's first International Cricket ground is under construction at West Tripura district's Narsingarh, and is expected to be completed by the next seven to eight months.

A sum of Rs 185 crore has been released by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for the same, Tripura Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Sushanta Chowdhury said on Monday.

Responding to a starred question submitted by CPI (M) MLA Bhanu Lal Saha, Chowdhury said that the project was taken into hands in August 2017.

A construction company from Jharkhand was awarded the contract but due to certain reasons, the company refused to complete the project. Later, the contract was renewed and construction works started once again," he informed.

Further, Saha expressed his desire to enjoy an international cricket encounter in the state and requested the Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs to take the necessary initiatives to complete the project as soon as possible.

To this, Chowdhury said, "We all desire to enjoy international cricket matches here in Tripura. But, to be specific, cricket does not come under the direct control of the Tripura state government. It is the Tripura Cricket Association, an affiliated body of the BCCI that oversees cricket related matters. The answers that have been submitted on the floor of the house are all prepared by the Tripura Cricket Association."

Chowdhury, however, assured Saha that he would pursue the matter with appropriate authorities to ensure that the project gets completed in time.

Speaking on the issue, Tripura Cricket Association Joint Secretary Kishore Kumar Das said that the new stadium will be equipped with all modern facilities.

"Gym, club house and practice nets are being installed in the ground right now. We are trying to arrange a three-star category hotel within the stadium for the accommodation of the players. The sitting capacity of the stadium will be 22,000," Das added.

(With Inputs from ANI)

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