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The Kerala government is preparing to introduce a new scheme that would allow large-scale private sports infrastructure projects to bypass several existing legal and environmental safeguards, including the Kerala Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Act, 2008. According to a draft of the Kerala Sports Infrastructure Development Scheme, 2024, accessed by The Times of India, the government proposes to grant exemptions and relaxations from various regulatory provisions “as deemed necessary” to facilitate the establishment of world-class sports facilities in the state. Once approved by the Cabinet, the scheme will enable such projects to be classified as serving a public purpose, thereby making them eligible for wide-ranging incentives while shielding them from stringent environmental scrutiny. The move is being positioned as part of a larger economic strategy to boost employment, tourism, and public health through sports investments. The immediate trigger for the policy was a proposal by the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) to build an international cricket stadium in Kochi, which involves land protected under the Paddy Land and Wetland Act. The agriculture department had denied clearance for the project, prompting the Chief Minister’s office to explore a broader framework to enable such ventures. KCA, in its representation to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, argued that the lack of a dedicated international cricket stadium could push Kerala off the national and international cricket circuit. Following this, KM Abraham, Chief Principal Secretary to the CM, suggested creating a formal scheme to facilitate such investments. The draft outlines several incentives for private investors, including: Up to 50% waiver on stamp duty and registration fees Partial SGST exemptions on construction materials Capital subsidies of up to ?4 crore based on project scale A new State Sports Development Fund to offer interest subsidies and support for sports enterprises It also promises low-interest loans, performance-based grants, long-term land leases via KSIDC or Kinfra, a five-year electricity duty exemption, and infrastructure support such as access roads and utilities in remote locations. A key feature of the scheme is the proposed single-window clearance mechanism, where the government takes on the responsibility of securing all necessary approvals. The Sports Kerala Foundation will serve as the nodal agency, with financial support channelled through KIIFB. The scheme comes shortly after a state cabinet decision earlier this year allowed the conversion of 2.40 acres of paddy land in Kozhikode’s Ramanattukara for stadium construction, despite objections from a state-level expert committee under the Wetland Act—highlighting growing tensions between development ambitions and environmental safeguards. |
