Police Resort To Water Cannons For Controlling India-Eng ODI Ticket-Seekers

The India vs England 2nd ODI will be held in Cuttack, Odisha on Sunday. After a long time, Cuttack is hosting an international match. Needless to say, the enthusiasm among fans have hit the crescendo. So much so that police had to resort to water cannons to control the crowd. Fans started gathering outside the Barabati Stadium from Tuesday night, and when the off-line ticket counters opened on Wednesday night chaos followed. A video from Kalinga TV showed Cuttack DCP Jagmohan Meena controlling the crowd. 

Security will be strengthened in and around the Barabati Stadium in Odisha's Cuttack ahead of the India-England cricket match on Sunday, officials said. The Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) will also undertake beautification, sanitation and fogging operations in the vicinity of the stadium for the second one-day international match, they said.

A high-level meeting was convened here on Tuesday to review preparations for the match.

Officials from the district administration, the Odisha Cricket Association (OCA), Odisha Olympic Association, police and health departments and the CMC attended the meeting to finalise the arrangements.

“The entry and exit of people will be regulated through four designated gates, with personnel stationed to manage security and sanitation,” Cuttack Deputy Commissioner of Police, Jagmohan Meena, said.

The district health department will also deploy ambulances and medical teams for emergency response on the match day, while food safety officers will monitor hygiene standards at stalls.

To ease spectator movement, special bus services will operate from Cuttack's Netaji Bus Terminus, Trishulia and the railway station, the officials added.