Thaindian News

Mohali, March 2 (IANS) The Punjab Police have deployed 1,300 personnel and put in place 70 CCTVs for the South Africa-Netherlands Cricket World Cup match here Thursday, even as less than one-fourth of the tickets have been sold so far.

South Africa will take on Netherlands at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) stadium in Mohali, which neighbours Chandigarh. The stadium has a seating capacity of 28,000, but so far only 6,000-odd tickets have been sold.

“We have decided to provide three-tier security cover to the stadium to ensure smooth conduct of the match,” district police chief Gurpreet Singh Bhullar told IANS.

“Around 1,350 personnel will be on security duty and nearly 70 CCTV cameras have been installed at various sensitive locations to keep an eye on anti-social elements,” he added.

“The stretch in front of the stadium and roads leading to the stadium will be closed for vehicular traffic tomorrow (Thursday). We have made arrangements to divert traffic to alternate routes to avoid inconvenience to commuters,” Bhullar added.

The South African team reached here Monday while the Netherlands’ players arrived Tuesday evening.

Bhullar said ambulances, bomb disposal squad and quick reaction teams will be on stand-by near the stadium.

Though the Punjab Police have provided fool-proof security cover for the match but the PCA owed nearly Rs.8 crore to the Punjab police as security charges for the last many matches.

The PCA stadium is considered one of the most ultra-modern stadiums in the country and it has a pitch with a reputation for being lively and supportive to both batsmen and pace bowlers. Built in 1992, it can easily accommodate 28,000 spectators.

After the South Africa-Netherlands match, the stadium will host West Indies and Ireland March 11, and one of the semi-final matches which will be played under flood-lights March 30.