After the stampede, Chinnaswamy Stadium is ready for IPL. KSCA increased security by installing new gates and CCTV in 3 months. 11 seats have been reserved in memory of the 11 fans who lost their lives in the accident.
Bengaluru: The Chinnaswamy Stadium, which witnessed a horrific stampede in June last year, is now all set for the IPL. The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) has worked day and night over the last 3 months to prepare the stadium for the league and finally their hard work has paid off.
The tenure of the previous committee ended in September. After this, in December, a new committee took over the work under the leadership of Venkatesh Prasad. Within a few days of assuming office, the new team had started efforts for the return of international and IPL matches at Chinnaswamy.
At first, KSCA made persistent efforts to get approval from the government. After meetings and investigation with several departments, he received approval with conditions. After this, it took a lot of effort to convince RCB to play in Bengaluru itself. Meanwhile, KSCA had to take several security measures to get unconditional approval for the IPL. But despite the short time, major works like large entry gate, ticket checking gate and holding area have been completed in the stadium. The place where NCA used to be has now been left vacant and airport-like ticket scanning counters have been set up inside the big gate. The site has been leveled by cutting some trees and pouring concrete. CCTV cameras have been installed all around the stadium and important places have been paved with concrete.
How were KSCA’s efforts?
- Made continuous efforts to get approval from the government.
- Several rounds of meetings and investigations took place with different departments.
- New security arrangements were made in the stadium.
- RCB was persuaded to play in Bengaluru.
- The work of installing many big gates was completed.
- Many types of work were done around the stadium.
- The laborers also worked continuously day and night.
11 seats for 11 fans
To pay tribute to the 11 fans who lost their lives in the stampede, 11 special seats have been reserved in the stadium. These seats have been decorated with flowers and left vacant.