Sports Minister withdraws from PPP model stadium on CU campus

The Department of Sports and Youth Affairs of the State government has gone back on the proposal to build an international stadium on public-private-partnership (PPP) model on the campus of Calicut University (CU) at Tenhipalam in Malappuram district.

This follows objections raised by Vice-Chancellor P. Raveendran and Syndicate members aligned with the Congress, Indian Union Muslim League, and the BJP, during a meeting on the project attended by Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs V. Abdurahiman at the university on Saturday (August 30, 2025).

Mr. Raveendran, according to sources, told the Minister that he was not aware of the proposal for which the government has already sanctioned ₹125 crore under the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board. The proposal had not been discussed by the Syndicate and the Senate of the varsity either. The Syndicate members belonging to the Opposition parties demanded that the government drop its plan to involve private parties to build the stadium.

Mr. Raveendran pointed out that any proposal to hand over varsity land would have to be approved by the varsity’s official bodies. Subsequently, it was decided that the stadium would be jointly built by the government and the varsity. Mr. Abdurahiman later declared that the new proposal would be placed before the Syndicate and the Senate for their approval.

Meanwhile, Save University Campaign Committee said in a release that the Minister’s promise should not be taken at face value as it was part of the move to hand over the land owned by the University of Kerala, Kannur University, Cochin University of Science and Technology, APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University, and the Kerala University of Digital Sciences, Innovation and Technology to private agencies to build science parks.