Am Ok With No IPL Matches For Maharashtra, Says Chief Minister Fadnavis

Mangalore Today News Network

Mumbai, Apr 08, 2016: If IPL matches are moved out of Maharashtra, "I have no problem," said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis,  a day after his government was flogged by judges over water being made available for cricket, but not for ordinary people at a time of unprecedented drought.

With water in short supply in some parts and disappearing all together in others, the Bombay High Court is deciding whether to cancel matches of the domestic 20-20 tournament slotted for Nagpur, Mumbai and Pune.

The court ruled yesterday that it’s too late to cancel the debut match of the tournament in Mumbai’s iconic Wankhede Stadium tomorrow, but that it will take a decision on the 19 other Maharashtra matches on Tuesday.

A public interest litigation or PIL alleges that lakhs of litres cannot be spent on watering stadium at a time when farmers are in despair and cities hosting the matches are parched.

The IPL’s grand finale is also scheduled in late-May at Wankhede Stadium, where officials admitted yesterday that 40 lakh litres has been assigned to water the pitch. Organisers of the tournament say water safe for drinking is not being used for the venues, but the court has asked for more information to substantiate this.

In some parts of Maharashtra, where the scarcity of water is particularly egregious, the police has banned groups of people from gathering at reservoirs and tanks to prevent violence after water riots were reported in some villages.

"You (the state) are dealing with people at large.... animals have died, cattle have died, people are dying and you want to maintain pitches and grounds," said the judges yesterday, asking the government to clarify if it plans to bring in water from other states as an emergency measure.