By IANS,
Mumbai : The satellite town of Navi Mumbai has been spruced up and its D.Y. Patil Stadium bedecked as it prepares to host its first international match Sunday between the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) Mumbai Indians and Deccan Chargers.
The 60,000-seater stadium is regarded by many cricket connoisseurs as Mumbai’s third international standard cricket ground after Brabourne and Wankhede.
The stadium apart, the entire town wears a festive outlook. Navi Mumbai’s civic authorities have left no stone unturned to improve amenities and beautify the town.
“We started the beautification work by repairing all the roads leading to the city. Works on road markings and zebra markings on speed breakers have also been done,” said Additional Municipal Commissioner Sanjay Pattiwar.
Residents of Navi Mumbai are a happy lot now and are thankful to the stadium and IPL.
“The stadium has been a boon to the city, as it is playing a central role in the development of Navi Mumbai. The roads and footpaths in the neighbourhood were repaired on a war footing for the IPL (match),” said Prakash Pai, a resident of Nerul in Navi Mumbai.
Elaborate security arrangements are in place for the Twenty20 match here.
“Around 700 police personnel, including 100 traffic policemen, will be on duty to implement strictest security measures before and during the match,” Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner Ramrao Wagh told IANS.
Political bigwigs like Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister R.R. Patil, union Power Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and state Environment Minister Ganesh Naik are expected to attend the mega event, he said.
Moral policing has also been taken seriously after the state government objected to performances by “scantily clad” cheerleaders.
Wagh said that cheerleaders dressed in revealing clothes would not be allowed to perform “vulgar dances” before audiences.
“Moreover, the organisers must obtain a performance license from the police before the cheerleaders are allowed to perform. We shall not tolerate vulgarity of any kind,” Wagh warned.
Besides the stadium’s parking lot, which can accommodate over 1,000 cars, parking facilities have been arranged in nearby schools, gardens and housing societies.