The City Police is all geared up for the One Day International cricket match between India and England, scheduled to be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium, Kaloor, on January 15. Incidentally, this is the first ever day-night match to be held at this venue.
The police team led by K. Padmakumar, Inspector General of Police, Ernakulam Range, visited the venue on Friday and reviewed the security arrangements there. The Kerala Cricket Association team led by T.C. Mathew, secretary, held discussions with the police team.
“Fifty surveillance cameras will be installed inside and outside the stadium. A temporary control room will be set up to monitor the visuals grabbed in these cameras. After the match, the cameras on the outside of the stadium will be integrated to the City Police’s surveillance network,” Mr. Padmakumar said later, briefing on the security arrangements.
The entire stadium area will be divided into two sectors and placed under two Superintendents of Police. Nearly 2,000 personnel, drawn from other parts of the State, will be deployed for the match. In a unique step, the personnel inside the stadium will be donning casual wear and not uniforms, to make the event more audience-friendly.
“But the greatest challenge that we might face is the traffic management, with the demolition of the main carriageway of the North Overbridge already underway for the Kochi Metro Rail Project. Also the match being on the day after Makaravilakku, pilgrims returning from Sabarimala will reach the city by mid-day. “It is expected that the city will witness an increase of at least 30 per cent of regular traffic on that day,” Mr. Padmakumar said.
A detailed plan for parking of vehicles for the spectators will be announced on Monday. KSRTC and private bus operators have been asked to run extra services during late evening hours to manage the crowd flowing out of the city after the match.
