Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Once bitten, twice shy; the saying goes as Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) dashed off a letter to Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) asking if it had any pending taxes to make to the latter. The missive was sent to the IMC ahead of third ODI between India and New Zealand to be played out in the city on Tuesday as the MPCA said that it did not want any unpleasant situation to occur before the ODI, this time around.
A day before the India-South Africa T20 match on October 4, the IMC had raided the office of the MPCA demanding payment of pending taxes, while office-bearers claimed that the tactics were adopted to get “free passes” for the match.
“We had no pending dues yet the MPCA office was raided on October 3. The match is associated with the prestige of Indore so we don’t want any unpleasant situation to happen again. That’s why, we had written in advance to the IMC asking if there are any pending taxes on us,” MPCA president Abhilash Khandekar.
He said that they don’t want any confrontation with organisations but others also respect them and do not behave unjustly or discriminatorily with them.
The MPCA president said that the mayor, the collector and the police commissioner had assured us of all cooperation.
“Obviously, this match is important for them and for us as well,” he said. When contacted, mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav confirmed having received the letter from MPCA and said that bygones are bygones.
“We have assured MPCA office-bearers that the incident took place on October 3 will not be repeated in future. It is a matter of pride for Indore that cricket matches are held here. No recovery action or any other type of action will be taken in haste, especially ahead of matches. If there are any issues the same will be resolved with mutual cooperation,” he added.
