Cuttack: Just six overs into the Indian batting innings, when skipper Rohit Sharma walked back to the dugout dejected with the floodlights going off at Cuttack’s Barabati stadium during the second ODI against England on Sunday, the whole of Odisha saw it as a major embarrassment, for, international cricket had returned to the venue after six long years. Not one or two minutes, the floodlight failure paused the match for nearly 30 minutes, inviting sharp criticism from all quarters over the alleged mismanagement of the Odisha Cricket Association (OCA).
OCA Secretary Sanjay Behera has been accused of shifting the blame onto the team's bus driver. In its clarification, OCA mentioned that the generator's malfunction caused floodlight failure and unfortunately, it could not be replaced swiftly as the team bus blocked the path to install the backup generator. "The lights went off during Team India's batting due to an overloaded generator, and there was a delay in installing the backup generator as it took time to locate the team bus driver who was watching the game," Behera said.
However, former OCA council member Braja Kishore Nanda condemned the OCA's response, terming it misleading and inadequate. "Entire world was watching, and the floodlights went off for more than half an hour. This is a complete failure on the part of the OCA. The explanation is unacceptable. A backup generator should have been tested well in advance, at least 5-6 days before the match. An independent engineer should have been deployed for this. If there was security, how did anyone allow the bus to be parked close to the generator," he remarked.
Nanda further accused the OCA of distributing passes to satisfy the politicians, rather than focusing on proper management of the mega event. "Was a floodlight committee formed by OCA? Secretary Sanjay Behera is responsible for the whole gaffe and he should resign," Nanda said.
Alleging lack of preparedness and failure to deploy adequate security and designated committee staff around the generator, local leaders have demanded immediate action against the concerned. Cuttack Barabati MLA Sofia Firdous said that the matter would be raised in the Legislative Assembly, while Choudwar MLA Souvic Biswal also called for a thorough investigation.
Cuttack Mayor Subash Singh insisted that a high-level probe should be conducted into the alleged mismanagement. "The Odisha government and OCA must be held accountable for this negligence," Singh said.
The incident invited the wrath of fans as well. “OCA crossed the heights of irregularity. This is a complete failure of OCA. The game was stopped for more than 20 minutes. Who is responsible? What caused the floodlight failure? Why wasn’t the organising committee ready with proper backup? If this match was being organised by the joint efforts of the state government and OCA, how did such disruption happen?” lamented a cricket lover.
Meanwhile, the Odisha government on Monday issued a show-cause notice to OCA directing it to submit a detailed explanation for the reason behind the disruption and identify the persons or agencies responsible for the lapses. The OCA has been given a deadline of 10 days in which they have to send the explanation.
Cuttack Additional DCP Amarendra Panda informed that police would carry out an investigation as per the direction of the state government.
