Cops ‘pad up’ for IPL

The security deployment will include three deputy superintendents, 20 police inspectors, 45 assistant inspectors and sub inspectors, 445 male police constables, 50 female police constables and 70 traffic cops. Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) has paid Rs 41 lakh to Pune rural police for security arrangements, said MCA president Ajay Shirke at a press conference organised at Pune Rural police headquarters.

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Pune rural SP Manojkumar Lohiya said that a detailed plan for access and parking of two- and four-wheelers has been prepared. The four-wheelers will have to take the service lane before Kiwale bridge on the Expressway and two-wheelers will take the old highway and will get to the stadium via Mamurdi village. Direction boards are in place, Lohiya said.

Parking arrangements for four-wheelers has been made at Lodha Parking on Kiwale Road which has capacity of 900 cars, and at Peninsula Parking I and II near the stadium with parking capacity of 1,800 and 3,000 respectively.

Two-wheeler parking has been arranged in Mamurdi village and the capacity is 6,000 bikes.

Under no circumstances will two-wheelers be allowed on Kiwale service road and four-wheelers through Mamurdi village, the police have said. People have been advised to reach the venue two hours in advance.

Tickets holders can enter through gates 1 and 3, VVIPs will use gate 2, gate 4 will serve as the emergency exit, gate 5 is for media personnel and gate 6 will be for VIPs, as per the instructions of the rural police.

Police have advised spectators to not bring any baggage, bottles, nail-cutters, perfumes, food items or any weapons. They have asked people to immediately any suspicious objects to the nearest MCA guard or policeman on duty. In case of any emergency people should call Pune rural control room at 020-25657171 or 020-25671962, police said.

Police and MCA have urged people to buy tickets only from authorised dealers and not touts. Shirke said that over 90 per cent of tickets for the first match have been sold.

Meanwhile, cricket fans have geared up for the matches. “My exams will be over on Thursday and the first match is on Friday which provides me with a great opportunity to watch the match. My father has already booked my ticket,” said Deepak, a class 9 student of Pimpri.

School kids and college-goers have filled the stadium in the previous matches. Even women fans are present in large numbers. Though the stadium is outside the limits of Pune city and Pimpri-Chinchwad and there is no public transport, there is no dearth of enthusiasm among cricket-crazy Puneites, said a cricket lover.