Unpaid power bill: Raipur's Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium faces electricity woes ahead of India-Australia T20
PTC Web Desk: The upcoming fourth T20 international match between India and Australia at Raipur's Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium faces a pressing issue just hours before the crucial encounter: the absence of electricity in certain sections due to an unpaid bill lingering since 2009.
Reportedly, the stadium has a pending outstanding bill of Rs 3.16 crore, leading to the disconnection of electricity around five years ago. While a temporary connection was arranged upon the Chhattisgarh State Cricket Association's request, it solely caters to the spectators' gallery and boxes. Consequently, for the match today, floodlights will rely on a generator for illumination.
Raipur Rural Circle in-charge Ashok Khandelwal said the Cricket Association Secretary had applied to augment the capacity of the temporary connection at the stadium. Currently set at 200 KV, an approved upgrade to 1,000 KV awaits implementation, yet the work is pending.
This isn't the first time such electricity issues have plagued the stadium. In 2018, a half-marathon witnessed a lack of power supply, revealing the unresolved Rs 3.16 crore overdue bill from 2009. Responsibilities for the stadium's upkeep were allocated to the Public Works Department (PWD), with the Sports Department assigned remaining expenses. Both departments have engaged in blame-shifting over the unpaid power bill.
Despite multiple notices sent to the PWD and Sports Department by the electricity company, no payment has been settled yet.
Since the power disconnection in 2018, the stadium has hosted three international cricket matches. However, Chhattisgarh State Cricket Sangh's media coordinator Tarunesh Singh Parihar expressed skepticism regarding future international matches due to this recurring issue. He highlighted the use of generators as an alternative for significant matches and stated that although they have a temporary connection under CSCS's name, details regarding the outstanding bill for stadium lights remain unclear.
- With inputs from agencies
