Australia snatch 5-4 win against India in first match of hockey series
"It was a disappointing finish to what was probably a pretty good performance," expressed India's Chief Coach Graham Reid after the match.
A sizeable portion of the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium in Raipur, where Australia and India will play each other in the fourth T20I on Friday, is without electricity.
According to reports, five years ago, the stadium’s power supply was turned off because of outstanding debt totaling Rs 3.16 crore.
In 2018, the stadium’s lack of electricity was revealed to half-marathon participants, generating media attention. It was then announced that no money had been paid for the unpaid electricity bill since 2009, which had increased to 3.16 crore.
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The main reason behind the non-payment of electricity bills is the fighting between the Public Works Department, which maintains the Raipur Stadium, and the Sports Department, which is responsible for all other expenses.
The only items using the temporary electrical connection are the boxes and the spectator gallery.As a result, the stadium’s management has chosen to run the floodlights during the game using generators. Chhattisgarh State Cricket Sangh’s media coordinator, Tarun Singh Parihar, stated that the association was unsure whether to host significant matches due to potential issues. The fact that generators are being investigated as a potential substitute for the big games illustrates the erratic nature of stadium power. A temporary connection has been taken in the name of CSCS, he added.
At the moment, the temporary connection can handle 200 KV. Although an application to upgrade 1,000 KV has been approved, no work has been done as of yet. According to Raipur Rural Circle manager Ashok Khandelwal, the electrical company has repeatedly informed the PWD and Sports Department to pay outstanding balances, but payment has not been received.
For the mishandling of Chhattisgarh cricket, netizens are criticizing the State Cricket Association and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
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