The first of the second Test match between India and New Zealand in Pune witnessed a total of 17,798 spectators filling up the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium. However, the enthusiastic fans, who travelled from far and wide, were met with insufficient facilities, including a lack of drinking water amid rising mercury.
The Indian Express in a report highlighted the lack of basic facilities that the fans were faced with during the match.
Handful restrooms, stinking toilets
The report said that there were just a handful of restrooms for the people. After the first session, they crowded on the staircase leading to the basement toilet, which was dark and cramped. Some complained about the lack of water, and the foul odor hit their noses well before they even got close.
Drinking water was also scarce, especially in the North Stand, where the kiosk ran dry. Prices at the stalls were inflated, and in some parts of the stadium, vendors ran out of bottled water altogether.
MCA secretary Kamlesh Pisal later promised more water stalls in the stands from the second day. “I sincerely apologise to all the fans for the inconvenience caused, especially due to water shortage. We have already addressed it and I assure you that from tomorrow until the end of the game, free drinking water will be supplied in every stand without any problem,” he said.
“The MCA has not authorised anyone to sell water, so we are getting to the bottom of the issue. And the supply at two or three points in the North Stand was interrupted since the MCA tried to serve chilled water to spectators considering the October heat. Once the water in cool cages finished, we tried to refill it with cold water, and in that process, it got delayed. We have done a recce and will make sure everything is refilled properly tonight to avoid such situations.”