HPCA gears up for upcoming India- West Indies ODI match

As the hill- town of Dharamsala readies to host the India-West Indies one-day international (ODI) match slated for October 20, the second international fixture at the venue, the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) has written to the district police and civil authorities requesting for security cover and administrative support during the event

As the hill- town of Dharamsala readies to host the India-West Indies one-day international (ODI) match slated for October 20, the second international fixture at the venue, the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) has written to the district police and civil authorities requesting for security cover and administrative support during the event.This comes at a time when the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh and the sports body, headed by Hamirpur MP Anurag Thakur, son of former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, are locked in a fierce battle over alleged regularities in the functioning of HPCA.“We have written to the district police and the district administration requesting for security cover and support during upcoming ODI match between India and West Indies,” said HPCA spokesperson Sanjay Sharma.The separate letters in this regard were sent on September 5.

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“We hope for cooperation and support from both the district police and the civil administration to make the event successful,” said Sharma.

The HPCA official said security is an important issue and it is the responsibility of the government to provide the same.Kangra deputy commissioner C Palrasu confirmed that the administration has received a communication from HPCA regarding the upcoming match and the help they need during this event. “Whatever we can, we will do,” said Palrasu.Meanwhile, the district police authorities said that they have also received the request from the sports body and will be intimating it to the higher officials. State director general of police (DGP) Sanjay Kumar said that he was not aware of such a request and has not so far received any communication in this regard.“As soon as the communication is received, I will be in a position to say anything and act accordingly,” he told Hindustan Times.Notably, the tussle between the Congress-led state government and the HPCA had robbed this hill station of the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches this season. The picturesque HPCA Stadium, overseeing the snow-capped Dhauladhar ranges, had hosted nine IPL matches in the last four seasons, but this time Dharmasala was not allotted a single match.