How can the cricket associations waste water in this manner? Is the IPL tournament more important than people? How can you be so careless? Who wastes water like this? This is criminal wastage. You know what the condition is in Maharashtra.”
60,000 litRes of water will be wasted for maintaining the pitches at three stadiums in the state.
Mumbai : Taking a grim view of the acute water shortage in Maharashtra owing to drought, the Bombay High Court on Wednesday suggested to the MCA and the organizers of the Indian Premier League that it would be better to shift the cricket tournament outside the state.
However, the MCA was not amenable to this suggestion and contended that the preparations for the tournament are complete.
While hearing a petition filed by ‘Loksatta Movement,’ an NGO which has contended that around 60,000 liters of water will be wasted for maintaining the pitches at the three stadiums in the state, a division bench of Justice VM Kanade and Justice MS Karnik asked the MCA to specify how much water will be required. The Bench also said it was the state government’s responsibility to impose curbs on use of water during drought.
Justice Kanade, in turn, hit out at the BCCI for holding IPL matches in the state at a time it is reeling under drought and observed, “Only if water supply to BCCI is cut, you will understand.”
The counsel representing the MCA informed the court that 40 lakh liters of non-potable water will be used in two months in Mumbai alone to maintain the pitches at the Wankhede stadium, where the very first match of the tournament will be held. The counsel further contended that the non-potable water which is supplied to them is not fit for consumption.
The petitioner highlighted in the court the conditions in the worst drought hit district, Latur, where the government has clamped Section 144 of the IPC. The petitioner contended that if the cricket association continues to fritter away the scarce water
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Mumbai: Terming as “serious issue”, the drought-like situation in Maharashtra, the Bombay High Court today said it needs to look into it while hearing a PIL against use of water for the purpose of maintaining pitches prior to the Indian Premier League
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resources for pitch maintenance, Mumbai too may face conditions akin to that in Latur. The petitioner further informed the court that from April 5 to April 6, the adjoining district of Thane would face complete water cut for 24 hours.
After hearing both the sides, the court demanded, “How can the cricket associations waste water in this manner? Is the IPL tournament more important than people? How can you be so careless? Who wastes water like this? This is criminal wastage. You know what the condition is in Maharashtra.”
Deferring the matter until Wednesday, the bench asked the State Government to declare its stand on what steps it plans to take on the issue.
In a related development, a different bench headed by Justice Abhay Oka declined to hear a similar petition filed by activist Ketan Tirodkar against water use in IPL matches, asking the petitioner to move an appropriate bench. Later, Tirodkar told reporters outside the court that he would move the court of Chief Justice Waghela on Thursday.
Tirodkar has sought a direction to the IPL Commissioner to pay tax on water, as about 60,000 litres per day would be required to maintain the pitches. He also sought an undertaking from the government that it would supply 1,000 litres of water per day to each family of drought-hit districts till the time rains fill up the need.
IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla on Tuesday had ruled out shifting the matches out of Maharashtra on account of the drought and water scarcity.
