SAS NAGAR: With less than a week to go for the first of six Indian Premier League matches to be hosted here, the routine inspection by the fire department and officials of the municipal council have revealed a lot of shortcomings in the firefighting capabilities of the PCA stadium.

Fire department officials have directed the PCA authorities to equip t he stadium with suitable firefighting equipment before t he i ssuance of a no- objection certificate.

Shortcomings include the lack of fire extinguishers next to the generators located near the gates, as well as expired extinguishers that need to replaced with new ones and lack of water in many hydrants on the stadium premises.

“We have pointed out a few shortcomings in the firefighting equipment. Once these are cl eared, an NOC would be issued,” said assistant divisional fire officer Sham Lal Kamboj.

When contacted, PCA joint secretary GS Walia said, “We had written to the district authorities, asking them to inspect the premises and check the firefighting equipment, so that we do not face any hassles while obtaining the NOC before the matches. The fire department has pointed out a few shortcomings, which we are working on. All guidelines issued would be complied with.”

Meanwhile, municipal council administrator JC Sabharwal has issued directions to the contractors to keep the area clean by ensuring that no littering is done around the stadium.