Bhubaneswar: The stage is set for Kalinga Stadium to host the February 25 Indian Super League (ISL) football match and the state government wants all the three agencies - fire services department, municipal corporation and commissionerate police - to put in their best for smooth conduct of the crucial game.
Responding to the state government's directive, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation has ordered officials to ensure proper clearance of solid waste from the stadium complex. It has also asked for deployment of a dedicated animal catcher unit to remove stray dogs and bulls. The civic body will also select vendors to set up temporary food kiosks near the stadium on match day.
In the run up to the ISL match between Jamshedpur FC and Bengaluru FC, the civic body will identify sites across the city to put up temporary hoardings.
"There will be dedicated teams to take care of sanitation and catch stray animals from around the stadium. They will be deployed on 24X7 duty from February 20," said mayor Ananta Narayan Jena.
The city's first ISL match is expected to witness a turn out of 12,000 spectators. Keeping this in view, the sports department has asked the fire services department to station adequate number of fire brigades and other fire-fighting equipment at the stadium.
In a letter to the director general of fire services B.K. Sharma, sports secretary Vishal Dev has asked him to assess the venue and make necessary arrangements to provide appropriate fire-fighting measures. Dev also urged Sharma to ensure that an assistant fire officer inspected the sites where temporary structures would be set up for the match.
Dev has also requested the police and its traffic wing to take steps to ensure proper security and traffic regulation on the day of the ISL match. The police will also work in collaboration with the civic body to earmark proper parking sites for the spectators.
With football enthusiasts looking forward to the match, a sports department official said: "We have successfully hosted the Asian Athletics and Hockey World League. We want to continue our streak."
