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A report of 700 pages: Pointing to several high-risk and critical safety issues detailed in the 700-page report, a source close to the matter says: “The most pressing concerns include serious fires and life-threatening outages, including the complete absence of dedicated fire escape routes in VIP areas, along with major sections of the grandstands exceeding their intended lifespan, inadequate provision for exits, poor grounding of fire systems and increased risks.“These are just part of a long catalog of deficiencies revealed by an independent audit commissioned by the Royals and carried out by Tata Projects.”Incidentally, on June 2 last year, barely two days before the unfortunate stampede in Bangalore, Rajasthan Royals had written to the Rajasthan State Sports Council (RSSC) seeking permission to conduct an audit to assess the current structural integrity and overall health of the stadium.“The letter made it clear that the franchise wishes to involve a competent agency and the test is expected to take three to four weeks,” the source added.On 12 September, the franchise followed up the request with another letter to the state sports council, formally launching a comprehensive security review and emphasizing the urgency for it, citing the RCB incident and emphasizing proactive measures.“The RSSC granted the permit on November 28 and the audit was conducted from December 25 to January 26. The tests were conducted according to national regulations set and updated by the central government, such as the National Building Code, the National Electricity Code, the Fire Code and the Sports Grounds Safety Code,” said those with knowledge of the development.The state government writes BCCI: In a strong show of support for the stadium, Rajasthan Chief Secretary V Srinivas has written directly to BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia, assuring top officials that the safety and security of spectators remains the top priority of the state government.“In connection with the upcoming IPL season, I have come to my notice that Rajasthan Royals, the home franchise of Rajasthan, have raised some concerns regarding the safety and security of the SMS Stadium. I would like to reiterate that the safety and security of the spectators is paramount to the state government. I would like to state categorically that there is no issue regarding the safety, security or structural integrity of the stadium infrastructure,” the letter read.“Government of Rajasthan constituted a very high level committee which thoroughly examined all aspects related to safety and security of the stadium. The committee consisted of senior professors from MNIT, one of the reputed institutes of engineering and technology of the Government of India, senior officials of the Government of Rajasthan, engineers from the Public Works Department (PWD) and other experts on the secure domain. However, the committee submitted its report and the experts’ secure domain and found that the committee submitted its report as a definite improvement and the government is fully committed to complete all the recommended works well in advance of the start of the IPL season,” the letter said.Defending the stadium over safety concerns, RSSC chairman Neeraj K Pawan said the authorities considered the required repairs manageable. “The issues identified are mostly minor in nature and can be resolved quickly. This includes repairing and modernizing fire exits, strengthening structural safety in the South Block, further refining the evacuation plan, replacing outdated floodlights, fine-tuning seating arrangements and improving aisles, walkways and entry and exit points. We have ample time and resources to complete these works before the start of the IPL season,” says Pawan.