BENGALURU: The home department of the Karnataka government has granted temporary permission to the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) to host international cricket matches, including the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches at the iconic M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
The development comes after the Karnataka government appointed high-level committee and the KSCA officials met at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday to conduct a review of the work undertaken at the stadium.
In a government letter to the Bengaluru City Police Commissioner on Saturday, it stated: “Taking into consideration the recommendations made by the expert committee that necessary action be taken to grant temporary permission to organise cricket tournaments at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, subject to the following conditions, including the requirement that the KSCA shall complete all works and safety measures suggested by the Committee within the stipulated time.”
In addition to the committee’s recommendations, additional safety measures required as per international standards shall be implemented while organising tournaments. The progress of works undertaken by the association at the stadium shall be continuously monitored by the high-level committee and the government.
If at any point the compliance by the association is found to be insufficient or inadequate, the government and the said high-level committee shall reserve the right to conduct inspections at the stadium and to revise or withdraw the permission.
As the proposed works are currently in progress, it is not possible at this stage to specify and permit a definite number of spectators who may be present at the stadium.
Therefore, after the completion of the works and safety measures, the committee shall conduct an inspection and submit a report, the letter to the police commissioner read.
“The permission is subject to compliance with specific terms and conditions prescribed by the government and the concerned authorities,” according to a press note from KSCA.
The KSCA has further stated that it is confident of fulfilling all the stipulated conditions. The association has already presented a detailed compliance roadmap before the expert review committee and remains fully committed to implementing all safety, security, and crowd-management measures in letter and spirit.
The decision comes a month after former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad took over as president of the KSCA. A press conference headed by Prasad is expected to take place in the upcoming days, to explain the details and outline the future course of action.
The fatal stampede outside the stadium during the RCB victory celebrations on June 4 last year resulted in the death of 11 people. Following this, hosting of matches at the stadium was put on hold. Five police officers including the then city police commissioner B Dayananada were also suspended. Their suspensions were revoked after a few days.