The Bombay High Court has sought an explanation from the BCCI and the three state associations in Maharashtra on why water should be "wasted" on hosting IPL 2016 matches when the state is facing one of its worst-ever droughts. After making a series of stinging remarks questioning the BCCI's priorities, the board's counsel sought time to prepare a contingency plan and the case was adjourned till April 7.
The court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Loksatta Movement, a Mumbai-based NGO, which wanted the IPL matches, scheduled to be held in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur, relocated following a severe state-wide drought in recent months.
The court has asked the BCCI and the concerned state associations - the Mumbai Cricket Association, the Maharashtra Cricket Association and the Vidarbha Cricket Association - to give "a detailed account" of the amount of water that will be needed for the tournament. However, no orders have yet been passed by the court.
The division bench of Justices VM Kanade and MS Karnik observed "that this entire thing (of the utilisation of water for IPL matches) needs to be thought over". The court also reportedly asked the BCCI counsel whether "cricket matches were more important than people or preserving water".
Overall Maharashtra is scheduled to host 20 matches in the ninth edition of the IPL. Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai will host eight matches, including the tournament opener on April 9 and the final on May 29. Nine matches have been allotted to the Maharashtra Cricket Association stadium in Pune, including the Eliminator on May 25 and Qualifier 2 on May 27, while three matches will be played at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur, designated as home games for Kings XI Punjab.
Arshil Shah, the advocate appearing on behalf of the petitioner, said: "We argued that there is absolutely no water available in areas like Latur and Parbhani [districts]. People are fighting over water. It is a severe law-and-order situation. In such times, the court observed it would be a criminal waste of water for cricket matches to be held in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur." According to Shah, the BCCI and the IPL "have the means and resources" to shift matches out of Maharashtra.
Read More
The court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Loksatta Movement, a Mumbai-based NGO, which wanted the IPL matches, scheduled to be held in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur, relocated following a severe state-wide drought in recent months.
The court has asked the BCCI and the concerned state associations - the Mumbai Cricket Association, the Maharashtra Cricket Association and the Vidarbha Cricket Association - to give "a detailed account" of the amount of water that will be needed for the tournament. However, no orders have yet been passed by the court.
The division bench of Justices VM Kanade and MS Karnik observed "that this entire thing (of the utilisation of water for IPL matches) needs to be thought over". The court also reportedly asked the BCCI counsel whether "cricket matches were more important than people or preserving water".Overall Maharashtra is scheduled to host 20 matches in the ninth edition of the IPL. Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai will host eight matches, including the tournament opener on April 9 and the final on May 29. Nine matches have been allotted to the Maharashtra Cricket Association stadium in Pune, including the Eliminator on May 25 and Qualifier 2 on May 27, while three matches will be played at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur, designated as home games for Kings XI Punjab.
Arshil Shah, the advocate appearing on behalf of the petitioner, said: "We argued that there is absolutely no water available in areas like Latur and Parbhani [districts]. People are fighting over water. It is a severe law-and-order situation. In such times, the court observed it would be a criminal waste of water for cricket matches to be held in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur." According to Shah, the BCCI and the IPL "have the means and resources" to shift matches out of Maharashtra.
Read More
No comments:
Post a Comment