New stadium for Guyana meets resistance

Monday, August 23, 2004

NEW DELHI, India: According to the Hindustan Times, India's attempts at cricket diplomacy with Guyana have run into a dispute within the Indian government and the matter may be referred to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh if the foreign and finance ministries don't settle the row soon.

The row relates to the construction of a $26 million cricket stadium in Guyana, which former Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee promised to finance during the visit of Guyana's President Bharrat Jagdeo to India.

Vajpayee had said that India would finance and construct the stadium that could host matches during the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean. In return, Jagdeo was quick to support India's candidature for a permanent berth in the UN Security Council.

The commitment came after a strategic assessment made by the Foreign Office that a stadium would be a visible symbol of Indian support in a country which had a huge Indian diaspora and whose President was also of Indian origin.

India was to release a grant of $6 million and a line of credit or a soft loan of $20 million towards its construction. But since the matter has been pending, no agreement has been signed.

Finance ministry sources say that the matter is being examined but there is little justification of the huge amount involved and there is stiff resistance to the proposal. The file is now with finance minister P. Chidambaram.

Diplomatic sources say that with no agreement in sight, Indian envoy Avinash Gupta is finding it difficult to face his hosts who have been quizzing him on the stadium. In fact a red-faced Gupta has sent Delhi frantic SOS' to overcome the deadlock.

The state-of-the-art stadium is scheduled to be built in the small town of Providence near Guyana's capital Georgetown and was scheduled to be completed in 2006. Sources say that the ICC awarded a world cup match to Guyana on the basis of designs of the stadium.

"It was essential for the stadium to be built in Guyana because the Chinese were increasing their influence in the region and it is important for India to demonstrate its support to Guyana otherwise we will lose face in an important country," a diplomatic source told the Hindustan Times.

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