India has been vocal about its ambition to host the 2036 Summer Olympics, and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) officially submitted a ‘Letter of Intent’ to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in October last year to reiterate the country’s’s interest. According to a report, the Bhupendra Patel-led Gujarat government has initiated the land acquisition process for building the Olympic village and other facilities on a 650-acre land in Ahmedabad.
According to a report in the Times of India, quoting sources, the lands of three ashrams — Sant Shree Asaram Ashram, Bhartiya Seva Samaj, and Sadashiv Pragya Mandal — are set to be acquired by the government.
“As a master plan for the creation of Olympic facilities for the 2036 Games is being prepared, the land of three ashrams, including rape-convict Asaram’s ashram in Motera, is set to be acquired for the Sardar Patel Sports Enclave, Olympic Village, and other sports facilities coming up on approximately 650 acres of land near the present Narendra Modi Stadium at Motera,” the TOI report stated.
The report also added that the government has also initiated the process to provide alternative sites to these trusts.
“With regards to the Sant Shree Asaram Ashram, Bhartiya Seva Samaj, and Sadashiv Pragya Mandal, the collector’s office will complete pending proceedings in accordance with the law. The Land Parcel Finalisation Committee will decide on providing alternative land or compensation for constructions. Sadashiv Pragya Mandal has requested to retain structures at their current locations. The master plan may accommodate this, subject to cooperation in handing over other land parcels,” the report added.
This development comes after another TOI report claimed that hosting the multi-sport event could cost India between Rs 34,700 crore to Rs 64,000 crore.
As per the report, it was revealed that the estimated expenditure will be more than that of last year’s Paris Olympics (Rs 32,765 crore).
“The final blueprint, accessed by TOI, reveals estimated costs involved in bringing the sporting spectacle to the twin cities of Gujarat and four other cities — namely Bhopal, Goa, Mumbai and Pune — placing the potential expenditure in the context of previous Olympic Games editions,” the report stated.
More than 10 countries, including the likes of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, have expressed interest to host the 2036 Olympics, though it is not known yet how many or which other nations have officially done that.
A decision on the 2036 host is unlikely to come before 2026.
(With PTI Inputs)
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