All roads in Bangalore to IPL stadium closed

Cricket fans planning to catch the Indian Premier League (IPL) action at M Chinnaswamy Stadium will have a tough time reaching the venue with the closure of Cubbon Road, from BRV Junction to Minsk Square, due to Metro work.

A traffic police officer informed that one side of the road was closed on Wednesday and the other would be stopped from Thursday.

The traffic restriction also means that three gates to enter the stadium’s N Stand, H Stand and National Cricket Academy will be closed for three years owing to Metro construction. The three are general stands.

“The road will be closed not only for vehicles, but also for pedestrians. So, no one will be allowed to enter the stadium from the gates which have entry from Cubbon Road,” said additional commissioner of police (traffic) Praveen Sood.

The traffic police fear that the crowd would gather at Queens Road to enter the stadium during the IPL matches, creating security problems. They, however, said the closure of Cubbon Road would not cause traffic snarls around the stadium.

They said the KSCA should take necessary action for the smooth entry of the huge crowd expected during IPL.

Parking not a problem
A traffic police officer said that the closure of Cubbon Road would not affect parking during the IPL matches. “There had been no provision for vehicle parking on Cubbon Road during the matches. So, it is not expected to create problem in the future as well. Vehicles can be parked at Kanteerava Indoor Stadium and Cubbon Park as well. We have space at St Joseph High School ground, top of the Shivajinagar bus stop and corporation ground near Shivajinagar. We can use these grounds as parking space if the need arises,” said a senior traffic police officer.

KSCA secretary Javagal Srinath said it would cause inconvenience to the public. “Even during the England-India game, one gate (H Stand) was closed due to Metro work. If the police have taken this decision, there is nothing we can do. If three gates are closed, then it leaves us with no option but to open the gates as early as 10 am. This could lead to security issues too,” said Srinath.

The fourth season of IPL kicks off on April 8. Chinnaswamy Stadium will play host to seven matches. The first match in Bangalore is scheduled for April 12 between Royal Challengers and Mumbai Indians.