Gandhinagar, July 7 (IANS) The Gujarat Home Department has made it mandatory for cricket tournament organisers, including the ICC, BCCI, and IPL franchises, to bear the cost of police deployment during matches.

The move comes in response to the lack of a formal mechanism for recovering expenses, despite regular and large-scale police presence at cricketing events across the state.

Under the new directive, a fixed fee structure has been introduced. Organisers will now be required to pay Rs 25 lakh for Test and One Day Internationals, while T20 matches will attract a security fee of Rs 10 lakh. The charges cover security arrangements inside the stadium as well as external perimeters and will include provisions for food packets, drinking water for police personnel, and the creation of control rooms if necessary.

In situations where heightened security is needed, such as during VIP attendance or specific threat alerts, the cost may escalate by up to 25 per cent.

The police will remain responsible for providing technical equipment such as scanners, barricades, and metal detectors. Organisers are required to make the full payment within a month of the event.

Failure to do so will attract interest penalties, in line with prevailing government financial norms. The policy, which formalises cost recovery for policing services during high-profile sporting events, is expected to set a precedent for similar arrangements in other states, especially amid growing concerns over resource allocation during mega-events.

Gujarat has emerged as a major hub for high-profile cricket tournaments in India, hosting a range of international and domestic matches across formats, including Test, One Day Internationals (ODIs), T20s, and the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, the largest cricket stadium in the world, is the state’s premier venue and has hosted iconic matches such as the 2023 ICC World Cup Final, IPL playoffs, and high-stakes India-Pakistan games.

Other venues like the Sardar Patel Stadium (Motera) and the Reliance Stadium in Vadodara have also hosted domestic Ranji Trophy fixtures and women’s cricket matches. Gujarat Titans, the state’s IPL franchise, has drawn massive crowds and fanfare since its debut in 2022, bringing regular IPL matches to the region.

The state’s cricketing infrastructure and enthusiastic fan base have made Gujarat a key destination for BCCI and ICC event planning, with police and civic bodies often pressed into large-scale deployment to manage security and logistics.

–IANS

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