Kotla, black-marketeers’ heaven
7 Jan 2013 2:34 AM GMT
Rampant black-marketing of tickets for the third and final One-Day International between India and Pakistan was prevalent outside the Ferozeshah Kotla on Sunday. Numerous touts were seen selling tickets for more than double their price. Cricket enthusiasts who missed a chance to witness the arch rivals go head-to-head in a dead rubber match didn’t shy away from purchasing these tickets.
Most tickets being sold were for the cheaper stands. Touts went about their business very nonchalantly even with a massive presence of Delhi police in the area.
Some policemen turned a blind eye to the cheeky proceedings right around them while a few were seen taking account of the situation.
When asked, a policeman said, ‘It is very difficult to spot these touts. There are so many groups of people here. How do you ascertain who’s who. When we clearly see people selling tickets illegally, we go and confront them.’
Jampacked Kotla greets India-Pakistan players. Even as the temperature dipped to the season’s lowest, a packed Kotla greeted the Indian and Pakistan players. There was a lot of speculation ahead of the match of fans giving the game a miss as Pakistan have already sealed the series 2-0. But fans didn’t disappoint the players and turned up in numbers for a Sunday game to see the unfolding of yet another of the great rivalries in the sport. Chants of ‘India! India!’ echoed all through the stadium. However, it wasn’t all plain sailing for the cricket enthusiasts since Police had turned the stadium into a Fortress Ferozeshah.
MATCH DISRUPTS TRAFFIC
Traffic was disrupted due to India-Pakistan One Day International match that took place at Feroz Shah Kotla stadium on Sunday. As the location is near the main intersection of the capital, ITO, commuters faced major traffic snarls in the routes leading to the stadium till evening.
The match started at 12 pm but there was a huge rush of vehicles since morning, on all roads directed to the stadium at ITO, Delhi Gate, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg and Mahatma Gandhi Marg.
‘There was almost a three-kilometre traffic jam in the ITO area. As I could not board the Metro to office today, I had to take my car, which took me around two-and - a-half hours to reach office. My morning schedule for office was disturbed badly, which affected my working efficiency,’ says Rajiv Shukla, a commuter. ‘I was supposed to go to New Delhi Railway Station to board a train, but it took an hour to cross the ITO crossing where it takes only 15 minutes everyday’, said Rajiv Sharma, a commuter. Services were affected at the intersection due to the match, causing severe inconvenience to thousands of commuters, who rely on the modern transport system to reach their respective destinations.
Most tickets being sold were for the cheaper stands. Touts went about their business very nonchalantly even with a massive presence of Delhi police in the area.
Some policemen turned a blind eye to the cheeky proceedings right around them while a few were seen taking account of the situation.
When asked, a policeman said, ‘It is very difficult to spot these touts. There are so many groups of people here. How do you ascertain who’s who. When we clearly see people selling tickets illegally, we go and confront them.’
Jampacked Kotla greets India-Pakistan players. Even as the temperature dipped to the season’s lowest, a packed Kotla greeted the Indian and Pakistan players. There was a lot of speculation ahead of the match of fans giving the game a miss as Pakistan have already sealed the series 2-0. But fans didn’t disappoint the players and turned up in numbers for a Sunday game to see the unfolding of yet another of the great rivalries in the sport. Chants of ‘India! India!’ echoed all through the stadium. However, it wasn’t all plain sailing for the cricket enthusiasts since Police had turned the stadium into a Fortress Ferozeshah.
MATCH DISRUPTS TRAFFIC
Traffic was disrupted due to India-Pakistan One Day International match that took place at Feroz Shah Kotla stadium on Sunday. As the location is near the main intersection of the capital, ITO, commuters faced major traffic snarls in the routes leading to the stadium till evening.
The match started at 12 pm but there was a huge rush of vehicles since morning, on all roads directed to the stadium at ITO, Delhi Gate, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg and Mahatma Gandhi Marg.
‘There was almost a three-kilometre traffic jam in the ITO area. As I could not board the Metro to office today, I had to take my car, which took me around two-and - a-half hours to reach office. My morning schedule for office was disturbed badly, which affected my working efficiency,’ says Rajiv Shukla, a commuter. ‘I was supposed to go to New Delhi Railway Station to board a train, but it took an hour to cross the ITO crossing where it takes only 15 minutes everyday’, said Rajiv Sharma, a commuter. Services were affected at the intersection due to the match, causing severe inconvenience to thousands of commuters, who rely on the modern transport system to reach their respective destinations.
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