Water used not only for IPL but also for other sports: MCA

Mumbai: The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) on Monday told the court that water is used not only for the Indian Premier League T-20 tournament in Mumbai and Pune stadiums but also for sports like hockey and football and also at shopping malls.

A division bench of Justice Abhay Oka and Justice R.I. Chagala was hearing a petition filed by Lok Satta Movement, NGO that opposed IPL matches in 2016 because of the prevailing drought-like situation in Maharashtra.

On the last hearing, the court had asked the MCA to file an affidavit clarifying whether the IPL is a sport or commercial activity.

MCA lawyer A.S. Khandeparkar told the court that IPL falls under the ‘fourth category’, which is for recreational activities and sports.

The MCA in its affidavit stated that it required 2,50,000 litres of water per match to meet the requirement of spectators for flushing and washing of hands during the IPL. It also stated that during April and May when IPL matches are held, 80,000 litres are required each day to water the entire ground.

The affidavit stated that water for the ground is brought via tankers and water provided by the

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is used for public purposes.

The MCA informed the court that it has completed construction of two ring wells in Wankhede stadium, which can provide thousand of litres of water in a day.

The affidavit stated that apart from IPL matches, one-day international matches, T-20 matches, Test matches and first-class cricket matches like the Ranji Trophy and Duleep Trophy are also being played at Wankhede stadium, but no match is played a month before the IPL.

The affidavit said Wankhede stadium was not violating the national water policy.