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IND vs AUS (Source: Twitter)
A strange piece of news surfaced before the 4th T20I match between India and Australia when it was revealed that the match between the top two teams of the World will be played under temporary lighting arrangements. The 4th T20I of the five-match bilateral series between India and Australia was to be played in Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium of Raipur.
But in shocking news, it was discovered that there was no electricity in the Raipur stadium because of unpaid bills since 2009, and when the amount reached 3.19 crores in 2018, the stadium’s power connection was cut down by the board and since then events have been taking place in the stadium under temporary lighting arrangements.
For the India vs Australia T20I match, the stadium was provided temporary connection and the floodlights and other equipment of the stadium were working on generators. After the match, it was discovered that the total cost of the temporary lighting setup and generators for the match reached up to 1.4 cr.
Electricity failure is not something new for Raipur Stadium
As per reports, the stadium’s electricity failure issues came to light in 2018 when participants of a half-marathon faced issues due to lack of supply in the stadium and it was then realized that the dues to be paid to the electricity board by the stadium have been pending since 2009.
The task of the stadium’s maintenance was provided to the Public Works Department along with the Sports Department, but due to the mismanagement by both departments, the situation stands where it is now and despite multiple notices by the electricity department to both these boards no substantial measures were taken to resolve the issue.
Three international events have taken place since 20 18 when the power connection was cut by the electricity departments but the financial deadlock between the electricity department and the boards responsible for managing the stadium carried on despite the prolonged situation.