BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday directed officials of the Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) and the state administration to ensure flawless arrangements with top security for the upcoming India-South Africa T20 International match to be held at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on December 9.
Taking a review of the preparations for the match at a high-level meeting in the presence of minister of Sports and Youth Services Suryabanshi Suraj here, the chief minister said the match will draw national and international attention and must be conducted without any lapses.
Referring to the blast in Delhi on Monday, the chief minister emphasised the need for a robust security plan. He directed the police and Home department to ensure foolproof security for players and spectators and called for heightened vigilance throughout the event.
Majhi also highlighted the importance of setting up a green corridor for emergency medical evacuations and stressed the need for effective crowd control, transparent ticket distribution and comprehensive health and emergency services.
Other topics discussed during the meeting include preparations for the match, like ticket sales, spectator facilities, lighting, stadium infrastructure, fire safety, parking and traffic management. OCA secretary Sanjay Behera provided detailed updates on these arrangements.
As discussed in the meeting, each stand of the stadium will accommodate spectators strictly within its designated capacity. Continuous lighting will be ensured with additional generators and a new software will monitor the system. If one generator fails, the software will automatically activate backup power from another, maintaining uninterrupted lighting.
A floodlight failure due to generator malfunctioning at Barabati Stadium, during the second India-England ODI on February 9, had delayed the match, leading to the game being suspended for about 35 minutes. A backup generator was activated but it took time to restore power supply. The incident led to a show-cause notice being issued to the OCA by the state government.