Bhubaneswar, Sept. 24: Police today cautioned the Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) against issuing excess passes for the T20 match between India and South Africa scheduled to be held on October 5 at Barabati Stadium.
Expressing crowd management concerns at a preparatory meeting with the association, the police officials also asked them not to increase the sitting capacity without increasing the number of entry gates. It is often alleged that the OCA issues thousands of passes without taking into consideration the capacity of the stadium.
The stadium can accommodate 45,000 people. The OCA has decided to sell around 33,000 tickets and the rest would be passes.
Cuttack deputy commissioner of police Sanjeev Arora said they needed assistance from the OCA before allowing vendors and hawkers to enter the stadium without verifying their antecedents. "As this is the first ever international T20 match to be hosted by the stadium, we are expecting a huge turnout. So, we need assistance from the OCA to manage the crowd well," said Arora.
While 65 platoons of police along with 150 officers would be deployed at the stadium on the day of the match, another 25 platoons of security officials and 100 officers would be deployed in Bhubaneswar during the arrival and stay of players here. The teams are likely to reach Bhubaneswar on October 3.
Cuttack-Bhubaneswar police commissioner R.P. Sharma said adequate security measures would be taken for the match and players.
"We have asked the OCA to deploy 500 private security guards in and around the stadium to assist the police. Besides, anti-terrorist squad and special operation group would be mobilised in the twin cities," said Sharma.
A total of 150 CCTV cameras would be installed in and around the stadium to keep a tab on the movement of suspicious people.
For the first time, the OCA has decided to number the seats in the various stands. The gallery seats will not be numbered. OCA secretary Ashirbad Behera said they would also deploy around 200 volunteers to guide the spectators to their seats. "We will also fix signage indicating seat numbers," said Behera.