Cuttack: Allaying apprehensions over the conduct of the upcoming India-West Indies one day international (ODI) cricket match at Barabati on December 22, Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) on Tuesday maintained that necessary steps are being taken to ensure that the match is held as per schedule.
OCA secretary Sanjay Behera informed that already the work order for the repair of the stadium floodlights has been issued and the entire repair work is likely to be completed by November last week or December first week.
However, there might be some disappointment for fans as there might be lesser number of tickets up for grabs for the match at Barabati.
“The Gallery No.7, the oldest gallery, is not safe and soon we will ask engineers and government agencies to review its status. If found unsafe, the gallery will be closed and hence there will be lesser number of tickets,” said Behera.
OCA officials further informed that so far no decision has been taken whether the prices of tickets for the ODI match will be hiked or it will remain the same. The decision on ticket rates will be finalised during the next apex council meeting.
According to OCA secretary, several issues like funds and test venue status for Barabati was discussed with the newly-elected BCCI chief Saurabh Ganguly.
Barabati had reportedly lost test match venue status owing to lack of accommodation facilities in Cuttack and long travelling time from Bhubaneswar to Barabati stadium.
“With opening of a new bridge, the travelling time from Cuttack to Bhubaneswar and vice-versa has come down to 20 to 25 minutes against the 40 to 45 minutes earlier. We believe that this will not be an issue now,” Behera added.