Cricket: Mumbai cricket officials remain confident the Wankhede Stadium will stage the World Cup final despite news the venue has yet to meet fire safety standards.
The city's chief fire officer Uday Tatkare claimed his inspectors found several problems which need to be corrected before the stadium is given the go-ahead to host cricket's global showpiece event on April 2nd. But Mumbai Cricket Association joint secretary Lalchand Rajput is confident the required work will be carried out in time.
"The fire fighting team came and inspected the stadium," he told Press Association Sport. "They have made a few suggestions and we will comply with them."
Kolkata's iconic Eden Gardens has also faced safety issues ahead of the tournament which gets under way tomorrow. The Group B clash between India and England on February 27th was switched to Bangalore as a result but Rajput calmed fears the Wankhede Stadium could suffer a similar fate.
"We are not concerned about the venue being taken off the World Cup list."
The issue of safety at the venue was raised when Tatkare told the Press Trust of India: "The team has found that the newly renovated stadium has many loopholes in its fire safety mechanism. The stadium must be in compliance with the fire safety conditions.
"We will soon write a letter to the MCA (Mumbai Cricket Association) stating there is a need to comply with fire safety norms at the stadium. Once they abide by the terms we would again conduct an inspection."