CMDA yet to give approval, 12,000 seats remain empty

Chennai: The three empty stands in the M A Chidambaram stadium has led to almost 12,000 seats being curtailed as Chennai Super Kings played Mumbai Indians in the opening match, here on Wednesday.

The three stands -- G, H and I -- each of them capacity of 4,000 seats each, remained unoccupied since the West Indies-India one-day international in November last year and the subsequent Champions League Twenty-20 tournament. The reason being clearance from the city planning department for want of building approval is still awaited. The new-look galleries were built after demolishing the old stands in the area as part of its modernisation and redevelopment of the four-decade old Chepauk stadium but had been sealed since October last after the Chennai Corporation issued a lock and seal notice citing lack of building approval. The stands were open during the World Cup last year. After the corporation action, TNCA had approached the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) for approval and the process of getting clearance is still underway. Once the approval was obtained, the capacity would go up to around 40,000. There is a lot of demand for tickets but it is still not clear when the three stands would be opened for general public. PTI