Kanpur Test: UPCA Addresses Safety Concerns for Fans

Kanpur: The Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) dismissed safety concerns for fans attending the second Test between India and Bangladesh at Green Park, starting on Friday. Reports had suggested that the C stand at the stadium was not capable of supporting the weight of spectators, but UPCA officials have refuted these claims.

After inspection by Uttar Pradesh’s Public Works Department (PWD) and experts from Kanpur’s Harcourt Butler Technical University, however, the number of seats at the C balcony has gone down.

“These are all baseless rumours that there is a safety concern for the fans. Out of a capacity for 10,000 fans on the balcony, we have been asked to reduce seats to 7,200 and we are not selling tickets for the remaining 2,800 seats,” UPCA’s venue director Sanjay Kapoor said on Thursday.

“Even then, we have managed to increase the number of seats for the fans by almost 6,000 from the last match and now we have around 26,000 seats. UPCA has taken all possible measures to ensure the safety of the fans; we have also made provisions for 3,000 school kids to watch the match every day,” said Kapoor.

He also said that there was no problem with the floodlights. “Floodlights are working properly, and everything has been checked properly and we are prepared even for the bad weather conditions here,” Kapoor added.

The stadium, which was established in 1945 and hosted its first-ever Test in 1952 between India and England, has held 23 Tests so far. The previous capacity was 32,000, but with the stadium undergoing renovation over the years, the number of seats have reduced.

“We are leaving no stone unturned to make this Test a great success,” said Kapoor, also a former chief of the All India Chess Federation (AICF).