As the cricket mania surrounding the high-voltage 2011 World Cup semi final match between arch rivals India and Pakistan has gripped the nation, most of the corporate companies in the country have declared half day leave today to their employees to enable them view the match  being  played at Mohali. Some companies have declared the full day as a holiday in metro cities.

Several corporate companies in the country have made special arrangements for their employees to watch the semi final which was dubbed as super finals for India and Pakistan.

The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the Confederation of the Indian Industry (CII) have made special arrangements in Delhi to enable more than 150 CEOs view the clash of titans across a long dinner session this evening.

Most of the media houses have also erected mega screens to facilitate their employees watch the semi final at their offices. FICCI said in a statement that their survey has revealed that 6 out of 10 employees would not attend the offices today. “It is true that the employees would not be able to concentrate on their work even if they attend offices during the day,” a FICCI spokesman said in Delhi.

Most of the employees in Mumbai, Delhi, Chandigarh, Pune and Bangalore have applied for casual leave on one pretext or the other on the day of the match and this was one of the reasons for declaring it a holiday, a company official told journalists.