Odisha CM directs police to up vigil ahead of India-SA match in Cuttack

Bhubaneswar, Nov 12 (PTI) Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday directed the police to make foolproof security arrangements for the T20 cricket match between India and South Africa in Cuttack on December 9, a statement said.

The police and the Home Department were directed to maintain a foolproof security plan to ensure the safety of spectators and players, in view of the recent car blast in Delhi, it said.

India will play South Africa at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack.

Majhi said the entire world will be watching the match and therefore, it is the state's responsibility to organise it flawlessly.

He also suggested that there should be a dedicated green corridor for the quick evacuation in case of an emergency, besides smooth crowd control and ticket distribution.

Odisha Cricket Association Secretary Sanjay Behera briefed the meeting on the preparations made for ticket sales, crowd management, uninterrupted power supply, fire safety, parking facilities, and traffic control measures.

Floodlights of the Barabati Stadium went off during a One-Day International between India and England in February, halting the match for over 30 minutes.

In view of this, the CM instructed the deployment of additional generators along with a new monitoring software system.

The meeting was attended by Sports and Youth Services Minister Suryabanshi Suraj, Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja, CM's Advisor Prakash Mishra, and Angul MLA and OCA member Pratap Chandra Pradhan.

In a statement, the opposition BJD said the CM had held a similar review meeting ahead of the India-England match, which saw the lights going off at the stadium, resulting in a face loss for the state.

It said the government should be extra cautious about crowd management this time and ensure proper security for the match. PTI AAM AAM SOM