Drought: HC raps BCCI, suggests shifting of IPL out of Maharashtra

MUMBAI:Just three days before the first match of the ninth edition of Indian Premier League kicks off in Mumbai, the Bombay High Court has suggested that the drought-hit state of Maharashtra go ‘cricket dry’.

The court came down heavily on the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the cricket associations of Maharashtra and Mumbai on Wednesday over the use of water for cricket grounds during IPL games at a time the state is reeling under severe shortage of water. “Only if water supply to BCCI is cut will you understand,” it observed.

The inaugural game of IPL-9 will be played on April 9 at the Wankhede Stadium between Mumbai Indians and first-timers Rising Pune Supergiants, led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Maharashtra would be playing host to 20 out of the 60 IPL matches — eight in Mumbai, nine in Pune and three in Nagpur. The court has suggested shifting all these games out of the state.

“How can you (cricket associations and BCCI) waste water like this? People are more important or your IPL matches? How can you be so careless? Who wastes water like this? This is criminal wastage,” a division bench headed by Justices VM Kanade and MS Karnik said while hearing a public interest litigation filed by Loksatta Movement, a non-governmental organisation.

The court also asked the state government to spell out on Thursday the measures it is planning to tackle water shortage, adding that ultimately it is the government’s responsibility to curb water wastage.

In its arguments, the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) said the water it uses is not potable. According to the PIL, each ground requires 60-70 lakh litres of water and that Maharashtra, currently facing 10-53% water cuts in many areas, can’t afford such ‘wastage’.