Sources said on Monday that the 20 acres Open Air Jail premises in Ondipudur area may be handed over to the Department of Youth Welfare and Sports Development for constructing the World-Class Cricket Stadium in Coimbatore, which was proposed by Industries Minister TRB Raja and promised by Chief Minister MK Stalin as a poll-promise in March, this year.

The Tahsildar of Coimbatore - South has written to the Assistant Commissioner of Coimbatore Corporation - East Zone to transfer the 20.72 acres land of the Open Prison Ground to the Sports Development Department.

During the last visit of TN Sports Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin to the city, he paid a visit to the Open Air Jail premises, enquiring whether it will be a viable site for the proposed project. Coimbatore District Collector Kranthi Kumar, Minister-in-charge of Coimbatore, Muthusamy and DMK MP A.Raja accompanied him.

Earlier, 3 sites were pitched as a possible venue for the project; land near Bharathiar University, L&T Bypass and Ondipudur. Minister Udhayanidhi's visit to the Open Air Jail led many to assume that the project could come up there. That belief has now become stronger.