Unpaid Electricity Bills Force Raipur Cricket Stadium to Use Generators for Hosting IND vs AUS 4th T20I

The Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium in Raipur is set to host the fourth T20I between India and Australia on Friday. However, due to unpaid electric bills amounting to INR 3.16 crore since 2009, the venue will rely on generators to power the floodlights. The stadium’s power supply was disconnected five years ago, leading to this unique situation. In an attempt to address this issue, the Chhattisgarh State Cricket Association requested a temporary connection, but unfortunately, this connection only provides power to the spectators’ gallery and the boxes. Ashok Khandelwal, the in-charge of Raipur Rural Circle, has requested an increase in the power of the temporary connection from 200 KV to 1000 KV to ensure the floodlights can function throughout the contest. The Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium, which is India’s 50th international venue, was inaugurated in 2008 and has hosted several matches for Team India and some Indian Premier League (IPL) contests. A dispute has arisen between the Public Works Department (PWD) and the Sports Department regarding an unpaid bill for the venue’s maintenance. The electricity department has issued multiple warnings about the unpaid bills, yet no effort has been made to settle the outstanding amount thus far. Raipur was not the original choice to host the contest, as the fourth T20I was designated for the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) Stadium in Nagpur.