New Delhi: Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa’s office Thursday announced that Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy cricket stadium will be converted into a Covid care centre to effectively manage coronavirus patients in the city. In addition, the Bengaluru Palace Grounds will also be converted into a Covid care facility.
The iconic stadium spread across 18 acres has a capacity to seat nearly 40,000 people.
Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) spokesperson Vinay Mruthyunjaya, however, said they haven’t been contacted by the CMO yet on setting up the Covid facility.
“We don’t have official information, we haven’t yet been communicated anything on this,” he told ThePrint.
“We have limited rooms, around 70 rooms only,” the spokesperson added.
Earlier this month, the state government set up a Covid care centre with a bed capacity of 10,000 beds at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC).
In a statement, the state’s Covid management in-charge R. Ashoka has assured that preparations have been made and equipment arranged by the state to tackle the crisis. He also said the state has over 600 ambulances to cater to Covid patients.
About Chinnaswamy stadium
Formerly known as the Karnataka State Cricket Association Stadium, the stadium ground was renamed after M. Chinnaswamy, who had not only served the KSCA but was also the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) from 1977 to 1980.
The 48-year-old stadium, home to the Royal Challengers Bangalore, RCB, is located in the heart of the city, overlooking the Cubbon park.
The stadium was first used in 1972-73 for first class cricket matches and it hosted its first international Test series between India and West Indies in 1974. The stadium is said to be the first in India to have started using solar energy to produce electricity as part of the ‘Go Green’ initiative.
According to the Union health ministry data, Karnataka has a total of 28,877 Covid-19 cases, with 16,531 of them active. The state has seen 470 Covid deaths so far.
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