The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Floodlights at Rajiv Stadium soon

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Sunday, Jan 20, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Floodlights at Rajiv Stadium soon

V. V. Subrahmanyam

Rs. 5.96-cr. project to be executed by Bajaj Lighting Systems

Fibre seating will be put in place: Shivlal Yadav
Facilities for 52,000 spectators to be improved

HYDERABAD: It is official now. Bajaj Lighting Systems has been entrusted the job of floodlighting the magnificent Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium (Uppal) and it is also set a deadline to completing the job by April-end this year.

Decision ratified

Speaking to The Hindu, N. Shivlal Yadav, Secretary of Hyderabad Cricket Association, said the decision was ratified by the executive committee meeting of HCA and all guidelines stipulated in the report of the ICC match referee Allan Hurst were being adhered to in toto.

“If HCA were to get a Test match, the floodlights are mandatory as per the new norms. We have finalised Bajaj Lighting on the basis of the Board for Cricket Control in India (BCCI) technical committee recommendations,” Shivlal said.

The cost of the floodlighting project is Rs.5.96 crore and there will be six towers in all to avoid any creeping shadows on the playing arena. “We have also given necessary instructions to the Bajaj officials that the towers should be so placed that they should not have any obstruction when the canopys on the northern and southern stands are completed,” Shivlal said.

No squatting

Interestingly, HCA also decided to ensure that every spectator on any given match day will be comfortable seated in fibre seating system.

“There will be no squatting henceforth. We are taking all measures to see that the basic needs for spectators will be in place. Though we have proved our organisational capability inside the stadia during the India-Australia one-day international (ODI) last time, we are definitely looking at some grey areas of concern to see that there is no scope for any complaint for the 52,000 spectators expected to see the next international match at the venue,” Shivlal explained.

And when HCA joint secretary D.S. Chalapathi reminds that the ruling brass of HCA has achieved what no one else in the HCA history has achieved till now bears testimony of their commitment in fulfilling the promises they made to the cricketing fraternity and to the HCA members.

Dream come true

“Honestly, this is a dream come true. Let me tell you proudly that we have now only about Rs.4 crore as outstanding against bank loans taken for construction of this stadium,” Shivlal asserted.

There is no doubting that he created history.

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