16 February,2011 06:56 AM IST | | Anurag Jadli
Bryan Adams' concert cancelled as police deny NOC to organisers
"I am a big fan of Bryan Adams and had come all the way from Chandigarh to attend his concert in Delhi. I had even taken a paid leave. However, when I arrived at the venue, (NSIC exhibition ground) there was confusion all around. We were told that the show had been cancelled as of now," said 27-year-old Manish Chadha, totally disappointed by the turn of the events.u00a0
No show: A security personnel stands guard outside the NSIC ground in
Okhla as the stage (right) is being dismantled. Pic/Mid Day
"When I asked the people at ticket counter about refunding the ticket money, they said the information regarding that and the concert will be available by evening. Now I am confused whether I should go back or wait for the decision of the organising committee about the show and ticket refund," added Chadha who had come to the venue at 4 pm on Tuesday for the concert that was scheduled to start at 7 pm.
Chadha was not alone. Thousands of Bryan Adams fans who had arrived at the NSIC exhibition ground were disappointed after they came to know that the concert would not be held as per the schedule. The reason:u00a0 Delhi Police had refused to give a no objection certificate (NOC) to the show organisers due to security reasons. "We have denied them the NOC as the local police informed us that the event organisers had sold tickets beyond the permissible limits and the event would have been difficult to manage," said an officer from Delhi Police's licencing department.
This move of the police led to the confusion all around. Twenty-five year old Romen Sonasam, said, "I was very excited about the concert and when I reached the NSIC ground, I was completely shocked. The person on the ticket counter told me that the event was cancelled. When I asked if it would be rescheduled, he had nothing to say and just asked me to leave."
Another Bryan Adams fan Anil Kumar Sharma said, "I had purchased tickets worth Rs 2000 and now all of that seems to have gone down the drain. Nobody had informed us before about the cancellation of the concert. It was quite sad."
"The concert was an opportunity for me to see Bryan Adams live for the first time. Now that the concert has been cancelled, I have lost this opportunity forever," rued Chiranjeet, an executive with a multinational company.
For the singer whose concerts at Pune and Mumbai had run packed houses, there is still some hope that Delhiites might be able to listen to him live. "I'm in New Delhi, waiting to hear from the police about the concert. As far as I'm concerned, the show is on - we're 100 percent here for the fans," said Bryan Adams.
