Indian envoy assures: Cricket stadium $ cleared
Guyana Chronicle
August 25, 2004
INDIAN High Commissioner to Guyana, Mr Avinash Gupta yesterday dispelled press reports that there is any doubt about building a cricket stadium here with the assistance of the Indian Government.
He said a report in the Hindustan Times of India picked up by a daily newspaper here was “mere media speculation”.
“As far as this mission (the Indian High Commission in Guyana) is concerned the credit line for the construction of the cricket stadium has been cleared from all the administrative levels and is now awaiting approval of the Minister of Finance,” Mr Gupta told the Chronicle.
He added that India, like Guyana, enjoys press freedom and therefore the media are free to speculate on issues as they wish.
The local newspaper Monday said a row had erupted between the Indian Finance and Foreign ministries over the planned US$26M World Cup stadium for Guyana and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh might be asked to intervene.
India has offered a US$6M grant and a $20M soft loan for the stadium being built at Providence, East Bank Demerara.
The stadium is expected to be ready for matches billed here for the World Cup 2007 tourney.
A recent report in the same local newspaper had prompted Resident Representative of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) here, Mr George Bindley-Taylor to categorically reject the impression created that the IMF would halt the construction of the stadium.
“We are not stopping the construction,” he assured, adding, “We are not responsible for journalistic excesses in the press.”
He explained that the Guyana Government had agreed to a feasibility study recommended by the IMF to ensure that the administration implements measures to maintain the feasibility and sustainability of the operation of the stadium, based on the outcome of the study.
He further pointed out that the short-term feasibility study would be carried out in parallel to the construction of the stadium.
Finance Minister, Mr Saisnarine Kowlessar, said the newspaper report was “sensational” and “wicked”, overplaying what the IMF required.
He said the IMF and the government had agreed that to ensure the financial viability of the stadium, the total cost associated with the project should not exceed US$25M. (CHAMANLALL NAIPAUL)