Indian cricket fan have always got a raw deal from the establishment but Gujarat Cricket Association is showing some serious intent to make it a pleasant experience for the paying public by creating half a dozen medical kiosk with six mini ICUs inside the Narendra Modi Stadium for any kind of emergency. (Full Coverage | Schedule | Cricket News)
Add to it, 3000 police personnel and 600 members of private security will man the stadium premised and the adjoining perimeter during the opening World Cup match between England and New Zealand.
It must be mentioned that the Motera Stadium will attract a capacity 132,000 people during the high profile India vs Pakistan game on October 14.
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"We have tried to create the best experience for everyone as per the standards and guidelines from the ICC and the BCCI," Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) secretary Anil Patel shared with PTI exclusively.
"Six medical kiosks and as many mini ICU stations will be available around the stadium for the fans during the matches," he said, adding that free water for fans as announced earlier by the BCCI will be available at the stadium.
This is a first of its kind arrangement by a state association and the kind of crowd expected for the opener and the Indo-Pak match, it is always better to have top quality medical arrangement in case there is an emergency that requires urgent attention.
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Providing medical facilities to fans who are expected to show in large numbers is one of the differentiating factors from the IPL final which the venue hosted in May this year.
Special seating arrangement for 20 terminally ill children
The England-New Zealand contest here will also have a special seating section of those cancer-stricken fans who are critically sick.
"20 kids, who are suffering from cancer will watch the game along with their doctors," imformed Patel. It was learnt that BCCI secretary Jay Shah immediately approved when the request from an NGO was forwarded to him.
"Their doctors will accompany them and they will be placed in a special area which is not accessible to everyone in order to prevent exposure," he added.
3000 Police personnel for opener, 4000 for Indo-Pak game
While thousands of security personnel will be deployed for the opening game, the number will be significantly higher for the India-Pakistan clash.
"600 private security personnel and about 3,000 police personnel, including those handling traffic, are expected to be deployed for the opening match here,” Patel said.
"For the India Pakistan match, 800 and more private security along with police personnel exceeding 4,000 will be there," he added. Local police and NSG commandos have carried out security drills both during the day time as well as at night.
Quick Evacuation Policy
The world’s largest cricket stadium will also have a quick evacuation policy in place — the crowd will be able to exit the venue in half an hour’s time.
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"We will have two ramps where 80 people can pass through easily at a time, and the crowd from the stadium can be evacuated in half an hour’s time," he said.
About 5,000 and more two wheelers and 700-800 four-wheelers can be parked in the arrangements made by the authorities here.
"For the India-Pakistan match, we are obviously expecting a full house but at least 50,000-60,000 people from Ahmedabad and nearby areas in Gujarat, who love the game of cricket are expected to watch the other games of the World Cup at the venue," he said.
