Former LDF Minister T.U. Kuruvilla slams Kerala govt for delay in Chelad stadium completion

Former Left Democratic Front (LDF) Minister T.U. Kuruvilla has urged the Kerala government to “explain to the public” the reasons behind the delay in constructing the proposed Chelad sports complex.

Addressing a press conference in Kochi on Wednesday (November 5, 2025), Mr. Kuruvilla said it was during his tenure as Public Works Minister in the 2006 LDF government that the design for the proposed stadium was prepared and ₹5.65 crore was allocated for initial phase of construction. In fact, works on the compound wall and surface levelling had already begun.

In the second phase, ₹3 crore was allocated for the 400-m synthetic track, and another ₹4.43 crore for related infrastructure during successive LDF and UDF governments. Yet, Mr. Kuruvilla alleged, the project has made hardly any progress since.

He stated that the stadium could have been “completed long ago if even less than half of the ₹70 crore reportedly being spent on renovating the Kaloor international stadium had been invested in the proposed project.”

According to earlier estimates, the Chelad stadium could have been completed with an investment of around ₹24 crore.

He expressed disappointment that the government has not taken any initiative to complete the Chelad stadium, despite the location offering more favourable conditions than a metro city such as Kochi.

The construction has remained stalled for over a decade, and the government has shown little interest in the project despite growing demand from various quarters, said Mr. Kuruvilla.