All Roads Lead to Mohali

NEW DELHI: Games are not bigger than India v Pakistan World Cup semi-final, so it is not surprising, Mohali will host the match on March 30, became the most sought after destination of the India.
Indian Prime Minister will be there, and so industry heavyweights will be, and franchise owners IPL, Mukesh Ambani and Vijay Mallya. Not only is there a mad rush for tickets on the black market, but all hotels are booked within a radius of 25 km and there is even a lack of parking at the airport for those who have private planes.
The stakes for the game were asked (as if a place in the World Cup final is not enough) on Friday, when Manmohan Singh sent a note to the Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Gilani and President Asif Zardari, requesting them to After the contest, the first gesture of its kind since the 2008 terrorist bombings in Bombay.
"I propose to be Mohali to watch the match of World Cup semi-final between India and Pakistan to be held March 30," the note said. "There has caused a stir in the game and we're all looking forward to a great game of cricket will be a victory for sport. It gives me great pleasure to invite you to visit Mohali and join me and millions of fans of our two countries to watch the match. "
Security
Chandigarh police are taking no chances with such a high level match, and have completely finished the Pakistan team hotel. They also gave the team a list of do's and don'ts during their stay in the city. "Over 1,000 policemen have been put into service," HS Doon, Chief Superintendent of Police of Chandigarh, told the Telegraph. "We are using jammers and the team was told to cooperate with us. Any team member who wishes to leave the hotel, we will inform at least four hours in advance. "
An official of the ICC said that obviously there is a buzz ESPNcricinfo additional and more excitement and passion in Mohali whereas India play Pakistan. "This is a mother of all finals, even if only semi-final," the official said. It is also understood that the ICC is happy with the security arrangements at the site. "The level of security that was provided is in place," the official said.
Accommodation
Hotels throughout the city are packed and were forced to turn people away. "We are full over the next five days," Saera Dir, Head of Sales and Marketing at the Hotel Taj, told the Times of India. "For the last week we've been politely declining requests for at least 50 customers every day."
Of course, the lack of space in Chandigarh is not something that will deter an intrepid fan. "We could not get all the reservations in Chandigarh or Mohali," businessman based Gurgaon, Rohan Gupta said. "The room we were in a station about 25 km from the stadium. But do not bother us until we can enjoy the excitement of the game in the stadium."
Tickets
Tickets were sold for days, but fans are always crowded at the PCA stadium in the vain hope of finding somewhere. "I come here since Monday but have not been able to get a ticket," Vikas Sharma, a young executive with a private company, told the Economic Times.
The rush for tickets has naturally led to allegations of black market profiteers, with tickets going for as much as 10 times their original value. "Tickets are available, but you have to pay Rs 3,000 for a ticket of Rs 250 and Rs 10,000 for pay Rs 1,000 tickets," Ram Kumar, a bank employee in Chandigarh, told the same newspaper.
The Punjab police has recognized the problem but said they will do what they can to prevent the illegal sale of tickets. "This is a problem and the cricket fans of people will suffer because of it," police chief Gurpreet Singh Mohali district Bhullar said. "We will do our best to check the black marketing of tickets. Our officers will be deployed in plain clothes around the stadium and various other places to catch the black market."
While the fans wanted to know how the Cricket Association of tickets sold in bulk to individual buyers, the association said it was powerless to stop the practice. "Our preparations are underway in full swing for this match, 'GS Walia, joint secretary of the Punjab Cricket Association, said. "We can not do anything directly if the black market. People came, stood in the queue and bought tickets. Now, if we sell them to someone else in black, how can we keep track? It is not under our control. But there will be adequate security controls to ensure authenticity. "
Transportation
The Times of India, the space to Chandigarh airport is limited to owners of private jets have been invited to organize their planes to drop them before joining places like Amritsar and Delhi park for the day before return for them after the game.
Fans who have to fly commercial airlines should be willing to pay a huge premium, "said Mint. Business class tickets are sold, and an economy class ticket for the 30-minute flight between New Delhi and Chandigarh will cost between Rs 7407 and Rs 10,482 on March 29. A flight to Chandigarh from Delhi on charges the other day about Rs 3200.
"With business class seats already sold out, and full-service rates to achieve the maximum level - Rs 9000 on Delhi-Chandigarh and Rs 22,000 on Mumbai-Chandigarh-airlines will need to add some excess capacity advantage of the demand reaches a peak of 29-31 March, "Aloke Bajpai, founder of iXiGO.com travel portal," said Mint. "Even the tertiary sectors in Chandigarh, Chandigarh, Jaipur-like, are sold at Rs 8000."
Meanwhile, the Times of India also reported that a special bus service is set up at Wagah, which is close to the border between India and Pakistan to make it easier for fans to visit Pakistan stage. About 6,500 visas should be issued for the game
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The immense interest in the game also proved a boon for the broadcaster, ESPN Star Sports (ESS). Four years ago, the ratings have plummeted after India was eliminated in the group stage, which makes it much more difficult to sell advertising space. Things could not be more different this time. "There are very few places left," Sanjay Kailash, executive vice president, advertising sales and new media ESS told the Times of India. "We are looking at rates significantly higher compared to what we were selling before the tournament starts."