Fans at the Arun Jaitley Stadium will breathe a sigh of relief in the World Cup matches as free drinking water will be supplied to them by the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA), the governing body of cricket in Delhi, and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
“Free drinking water will be provided to fans across all the World Cup venues, including the one in Delhi. The BCCI has decided to improve the experience of watching cricket for the public,” said DDCA joint secretary, Rajan Manchanda, to Patriot.
There had been severe criticism from fans regarding facilities for the public at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in recent times, including toilet for women.
“The work in 58 toilets is also near completion. The civil work in the toilets has been completed while tiles and the fittings will be completed by September 20. There is a sizeable number of toilets reserved for women fans,” he added.
The 35,000-capacity stadium is witnessing a makeover ahead of the mega event in October-November.
As many as 25% of the seats have been replaced and the remaining will be done by September 20, according to the top official.
Water-proofing is also on the verge of completion.
The contract for general seats has been given to the company that did it in Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium while the contract for VIP seats has been given to the company that did it in Bengaluru.
The BCCI, on Thursday, said in a statement regarding the work at Arun Jaitley Stadium: “Some of the major renovation work involves painting the entire stadium, revamping seats, refurbishing washrooms, revamping the family lounge, VIP section, air conditioning plant, and much more.”
The water-proofing has evoked criticism from within the DDCA, with a member saying that it should have been ascertained whether water-proofing is required or not.
However, Manchanda pointed out that wherever seats are changed and civil work is done, there is need for water-proofing to avoid leakage.
