By IANS,
Jaipur : The Rajasthan government has formed a coordination committee to oversee arrangements for the seven Indian Premier League (IPL) matches to be played at Sawai Man Singh Stadium here over a one month period from April 12.
The committee, headed by addition chief secretary (Home) P.K. Deb, will ensure smooth management of the seven IPL matches.
Jaipur IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals will play against Delhi Daredevils (April 12), Kolkata Knight Riders (April 15), Kochi Tuskers (April 24), Mumbai Indians (April 29), Pune Warriors (May 1), Chennai Super Kings (May 9) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (May 11).
A top official in the government told IANS that the committee has been formed after complaints were received that the state’s cricket body, Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA), and other departments, including the police, were at loggerheads over security and other arrangements during the last two editions of the league.
“Senior police and RCA officials will be members of the committee and a decision regarding the management during matches will be reached only with consent of all parties concerned,” the officer said on the condition of anonymity.
He added that the differences had come to the fore during many meetings between RCA officers and other departments which were held in the past one week to chalk out security and other plans.
While the state government didn’t want to compromise on security, RCA and the Jaipur police locked horns over the payment for the security charges.
Jaipur police say IPL matches fall in the commercial category and the organisers should pay as per the government norms. They also claimed that RCA is yet to pay them Rs.20 million for security for the past two editions.
RCA doesn’t want police security at all and say they can handle things on their own. “We can manage security on our own,” an RCA officer told IANS.
But the state government is concerned with the facilities at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium, specially after a VVIP stand collapsed during India-New Zealand ODI in December, a few feet from where Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot was sitting. Over a dozen people had sustained minor injuries and the forensic report held the poor construction responsible for the collapse
This time, the government wants to make sure that such things are not repeated.