NCA project: BCCI to request the Karnataka Government for an extension to submit the plan

In October 2019, a number of key BCCI officials, including Sourav Ganguly, Jay Shah and Arun Dhumal, met Rahul Dravid to discuss the newly launched NCA project aimed at providing a quality rehabilitation programme for athletes.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India [BCCI] and PricewaterhouseCoopers [PwC] are working extensively to formulate a plan for the development of the NCA facility in Devanahalli, Bengaluru. However, the plan seems to have been severely disrupted by the pandemic.

Speaking to the IANS, the BCCI official claimed that the formulated plan had to be submitted to the Karnataka government in October. He further added that they are seeking permission from the government to extend the deadline to November.

"We had hired the services of PwC for the project and the pandemic has already caused us a delay. We were to submit the plan to the Karnataka government in October as it is the Industrial Area Development Board land. But things were derailed due to the pandemic and we will now seek an extension till November," the BCCI official was quoted as saying to IANS.

The official also claimed that it may take another three years to witness the normal functioning of the newly-built National Cricket Academy, which promises a world-class state-of-the-art facility.

"The plan had to be submitted within three years of acquiring the land. Once the plan is finalised and cost is drawn, tender processes will have to be floated. Ideally, it should take us another two to three years to see the new NCA functioning, " the BCCI official added.

[IANS inputs]