‘BCCI has to work on implementing recommendations’
The union minister for sports Vijay Goel on Monday made it clear that implementation of the Supreme Court verdict on Lodha Committee’s recommended reforms would be purely cricket control board’s prero
The union minister for sports Vijay Goel on Monday made it clear that implementation of the Supreme Court verdict on Lodha Committee’s recommended reforms would be purely cricket control board’s prerogative as the “ball is in their court”.
“The ball is in the BCCI’s court. Implementation has to be done by BCCI. It needs to take note of the Supreme Court order and Lodha committee report. As far as I am concerned, all I want is transparency in sports,” Goel told reporters at the official send-off of the Indian Olympic contingent.
On the proposal of having the BCCI under RTI ambit, Goel did not make any conclusive comment.
“I am not going into every clause of the Lodha committee. As I have said ball is in the BCCI’s court,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the BCCI functionary and IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla said the board respected the Supreme Court’s verdict on sweeping reforms in the cricket board and it would work towards implementing the recommendations made by the panel.
“We respect the SC’s decision. Will look into how we can implement the Lodha panel recommendations,” Shukla was quoted as saying by television channels.
Former India cricketers Bishan Singh Bedi and Kirti Azad too hailed the verdict of the apex court.
“Let’s all accept Supreme Court’s verdict gracefully & humbly-after all isn’t health o Indn Crkt more imp than any personality pol/otherwise!” tweeted Bedi.
Saurashtra Cricket Association supremo Niranjan Shah, who has served BCCI for over three decades in various capacities such as secretary, joint secretary, treasurer and vice-president, said it would take time to implement the SC order.
“The BCCI will have to first implement it at their end and then the state associations will have to also implement the same. In my understanding it will take another 18 months to put everything in order as per Lodha Committee recommendations,” Shah observed.
He was, however, non-committal when asked as to who would replace him in SCA, an association where it has been a ‘one man show’ for over three and a half decades.
“My members had given a mandate to work for the betterment of cricket in the region. Saurashtra has one of the best international stadiums right now. We will be hosting a Test match and we have ODIs, and T20s. We have also successfully hosted the IPL,” Shah concluded.
Justice (Retd) Lodha, who had recommended the sweeping reforms, said it is a good step and will benefit Indian cricket.
“It is good for the BCCI administration and also for the public and other stakeholders,” he said.
Meanwhile, in Mumbai, the Bombay High Court issued notice to the BCCI and Maharashtra Cricket Association seeking their response on a PIL alleging violation of noise pollution norms during IPL matches.
Kapil Soni, an advocate, filed the petition in 2014 alleging that during the IPL matches held in 2013 at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium and Pune’s Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium, the noise pollution norms and regulations were violated, and hence legal action should be initiated against BCCI and MCA and heavy penalty should be imposed. A division bench of justices A.S. Oka and A.A. Sayed issued notice to BCCI and MCA, and posted the PIL for further hearing on September 16.