Hetaunda, Jul 8: The Bagmati state government has allocated an additional Rs 18 crore for the under-construction Gautam Buddha Cricket Stadium in Bharatpur. This decision was made during the cabinet meeting held on Sunday.

State government spokesman and Minister of Internal Affairs and Law, Ganganarayan Shrestha, stated that the funds have been authorized for the current financial year and will be transferred to the Bharatpur Metropolitan Corporation.

The allocation of Rs 18 crore follows an agreement between the state government and Bharatpur Metropolitan Corporation dated 21st November 2080. This amount is in addition to the Rs 5 crore already sent by the state government for the stadium’s construction. The additional funds will be transferred to the Metropolitan Corporation on Monday.

The construction of the stadium is based on a proposal from the Metropolitan Corporation, which outlined a first phase cost estimate for building a cricket pitch and field with parafits for 10,000 spectators. According to this proposal, the total investment required is Rs 75 million, with 70 percent of the cost borne by the provincial government and 30 percent by the Metropolitan Corporation.

In other decisions, the meeting approved a report on government reform and good governance for the fiscal year 2079/080 from the Office of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers. Additionally, the meeting approved a foreign visit for the Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development of the province. Secretary Vinod Kumar Bhattarai will participate in a study and training program in Thailand from June 29 to July 4.