Bengaluru, February 11 Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara said on Wednesday that a meeting will be held on February 12 to discuss and decide on the possibility of granting clearance to host cricket matches at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in the city.
He said that the meeting will discuss and decide based on the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), which manages the stadium, ensuring compliance with safety and security requirements.
Matches were suspended at the Chinnaswamy stadium after a stampede occurred outside it during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) IPL victory celebration on June 4 last year, in which 11 people died.
A commission led by Justice John Michael Cunha was constituted to investigate the incident.
"There is no such thing as good or bad news. We will look into what the KSCA has complied with the Justice Cunha Commission's report. I have constituted a committee led by GBA (Greater Bengaluru Authority) Commissioner Maheshwar Rao, which also includes the Bengaluru police commissioner (Seemanth Kumar Singh). We will discuss this tomorrow," Parameshwara said in response to a question about whether cricket fans can expect good news from the meeting.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, "There are short-term, medium-term, and long-term measures that were suggested. It will be difficult for them (KSCA) to comply with all measures immediately."
"Instructions have been given to comply with all the short-term measures. They will provide a report on how much has been complied with. Our team has also visited the stadium twice and has conducted inspections."
"We will discuss everything. If we are satisfied, we will allow it. If not, we will not allow it," he added.
The committee led by the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) commissioner consists of the police commissioner and officials from the Public Works Department, Fire and Health departments, and Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM).
The government, based on the committee's recommendation, had in December denied permission to host the Vijay Hazare trophy match at the Chinnaswamy stadium, as the KSCA had failed to comply with the safety and security requirements.
The minister had then advised the KSCA to comply with the recommendations of the Justice Cunha's Commission, for their request to be considered.
The commission, which was constituted to investigate the June 4 stampede, reportedly concluded in its report that the "design and structure" of the stadium were "unsuitable and unsafe" for large gatherings.
The commission reportedly recommended adequate gates for mass entry and exit, purpose-built queuing and circulation zones separated from public roads, emergency evacuation plans compliant with international safety norms, and sufficient parking, among other things.