JOIN USWork at Eden, Wankhede way behind schedule: ICC
The Wankhede stadium is scheduled to stage three ties including the April 2 final of the quadrennial extravaganza, while the Eden will host the first of its four matches on February 27, when co-hosts India face England.
A large ICC team headed by Chris Tetley had visited various venues in India towards the end of November and the early part of this month to assess the preparedness of the staging centres. An interim evaluation report, a copy of which is available with Deccan Herald, has pronounced that Mumbai and Kolkata haven’t adhered to the November 30 deadline, under the Host Agreement, for completion of all construction work.
The interim report states, among other things, “It is not considered possible for either of them (construction work at Mumbai and Kolkata) to be completed by the end of the year. Indeed, both venues readily accept that the construction programmes will not be completed by this time.”
Professor Eugene van Vuuren, the ICC’s Stadium Consultant, has added that construction programmes at the two venues may at best be completed by late January. “This pre-supposes no unforeseen delays or further impacts on construction by the current poor weather,” the report states.
“Following completion of the building works, there are a number of activities that need to be completed, including site clearance, landscaping and necessary beautification of the grounds, interior finishing and furnishing, facility commissioning and certification by local authorities, securing of the venue precinct perimeters and installation of entry gates, testing of all facilities including certification of the floodlight lux levels, and installation of temporary infrastructure required specifically for the World Cup.
“If construction is not completed by January 15, it is not possible to confirm that the venues will be in a suitable condition to be handed over by January 31.”
The interim report concludes by stating, “It will be necessary to re-inspect both venues and take a decision on the viability of staging CWC matches as currently scheduled.”
Throwing light on the Mumbai situation, the report observes, “Once completed, the venue will be an excellent facility for international cricket, but there is still much to be done.”
Crucial issues, it notes, are:
a) Uninterrupted power is required for the floodlights and replay screens.
b) The umpires changing room needs to move from the designated space under construction to the location allocated to the medical & anti-doping rooms.
c) CCTV must be removed from within dressing rooms.
d) The anti-doping and medical rooms need to be separate facilities and not shared.
The assessment of Kolkata is a lot more damning. “There is more work necessary at this venue than at any other,” the report reads. “A decision will be made shortly on whether to commence building the roof on two of the blocks. If the roof were not to be built, the chances of completion would be greater and there would be no impact on staging World Cup matches.
“Unfortunately, the venue administration did not recognise the requirements of the event and were often unwilling to discuss or agree to what was required. There was a tendency to rely on experiences of previous World Cup matches which took place in 1996 and are not wholly relevant to the needs of stakeholders for CWC 2011.”