look news india
Kanpur, September 26 (HS). The Indian cricket team is ready for the second Test match against Bangladesh at the historic Green Park Stadium in Kanpur, but concerns are being raised about the security of the stadium, especially the C balcony. However, Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) officials have clearly denied any security risk and assured fans that all necessary precautions have been taken.
There have been reports that the C balcony, which can normally seat 10,000 spectators, is structurally weak and could be at risk of collapsing due to the weight of fans. In response, the UPCA acted swiftly by calling in experts from the Public Works Department and Kanpur's Harcourt Butler Technical University to assess the situation.
On Thursday, UPCA venue director Sanjay Kapoor dismissed the allegations, saying, “These are all baseless rumours that there are concerns over the safety of fans. Out of the 10,000 seats available on the balcony, we have been advised to reduce the capacity to 7,200, and we are not selling tickets for the remaining 2,800 seats.”
Kapoor stressed that the safety of fans is the top priority of the association. To further reassure the public, the UPCA has substantially increased the total seating capacity of the stadium for this match.
Kapoor said, “Despite the reduction in the C balcony, we have managed to increase the number of seats for fans by about 6,000 compared to the last match. Now we have 26,007 seats available for spectators in this Test.”
To attract younger spectators, the UPCA has reserved seats for 3,000 school students on each match day.
Furthermore, Kapoor confirmed that the floodlights of the stadium are fully functional. He said, “The floodlights are working properly and everything has been thoroughly checked. We are ready for any weather challenges.”
He said the venue is equipped to deal with any adverse conditions.
One of the oldest cricket venues in India, Green Park Stadium was established in 1945 and hosted its first Test match between India and England in 1952. Over the years, the stadium has witnessed many prestigious matches across formats. Although it had an initial seating capacity of around 32,000, the number of seats has been reduced due to modernisation efforts and the construction of a new pavilion.