Woe, Calcutta!

Former International Cricket Council president Jagmohan Dalmiya said on Saturday that Calcutta could well face a long-term ban if the crowds failed to improve its rowdy behaviour.

Talking to reporters at the Cricket Association of Bengal premises, he said that the ICC had begun contemplating stern action against the Gardens in the wake of crowd violence during the India-Pakistan Test in 1999.

“ It was solely because I was the ICC president at the time, that I managed to pacify the members who were in favour of a suspension being imposed on Eden Gardens. The unprecedented violence during the Asian Test Championship tie was the seond of its nature within three years, earlier spectators had also disrupted the World Cup semi-final match between India and Sri Lanka," the CAB chief pointed out. "On Both occasions the tension mounted when India was on the verge of defeat. Therefore, the spectators need to be told ahead of the Test against Australia, that a repeat of any such behaviour could entail severe punishment."

Eden Gardens will host the third and final Test against Australia in March.

Crowd violence in the past has, thus, become a concern area and even the state government is understood to have suggested that the CAB curtail the seating capacity as part of its crowd-control measures.

Dalmiya indicated that the CAB and the state government were working in tandem with the state government on the question of crowd control. He, however, said it was "not possible" to reduce seating capacity, adding merely that other security arrangements would be implemented.

“Given a chance, I would want to double the existing capacity in the stadium," Dalmiya said. "Where is the need to bring down the number of spectators?”

Asked whether the bookies could have had anything to do with violence in the past, Dalmiya said that was a question for the police to investigate.

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