Bengaluru, Dec 24 Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara has defended the government’s decision not to allow the Vijay Hazare Trophy cricket match to be held at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru on Wednesday, Parameshwara said that the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) president and former Indian pacer Venkatesh Prasad had met both him and the Chief Minister.
“The Justice Michael D’Cunha Commission has made a set of recommendations. The report was submitted to the KSCA, and they are required to respond to those recommendations,” he said.
“However, the KSCA appears to have taken no action in this regard. When Venkatesh Prasad held a meeting, the matter was discussed. Subsequently, a high-level committee was formed. When the committee members visited the stadium, they found that not a single recommendation had been implemented. In this context, the committee decided not to grant permission to host cricket matches,” Parameshwara stated.
He further said that a total of 17 recommendations had been made to the KSCA, and permission would be granted to host matches once action is taken on these recommendations.
The Karnataka Police have denied permission for the Vijay Hazare Trophy match between Delhi and Andhra Pradesh at Chinnaswamy Stadium, citing serious safety and crowd control concerns.
The decision was taken after a thorough inspection by Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh, officials from the Greater Bengaluru Authority, and the Fire Department, who raised critical gaps in venue infrastructure and emergency preparedness.
Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh stated, "The committee had gone to the stadium on Monday, on the instructions of the Home Department. Officers from various departments, including fire, Bengaluru Electricity Supply Company (Bescom), Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and police, had inspected the stadium. As per the report from the officers, permission has not been granted for the match on Wednesday at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. The committee has also given a detailed report."
Police sources stated the stadium gates were too narrow to handle large crowds, especially with Virat Kohli expected to attend.
Notably, 11 people were killed in a stampede near the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) victory celebrations on June 4.
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