The Bombay high court Wednesday asked the Maharashtra government to inform it Thursday what steps it planned to take over huge amounts of water being used to maintain pitches of cricket grounds for In
The Bombay high court Wednesday asked the Maharashtra government to inform it Thursday what steps it planned to take over huge amounts of water being used to maintain pitches of cricket grounds for Indian Premier League matches to be held in the state. This comes in the wake of severe drought and water shortage in the state.
Terming the use of water to maintain pitches as “criminal wastage” in drought conditions, the high court suggested that IPL matches be shifted out of the state till the water shortage problem was resolved.
It was hearing a PIL filed by an NGO, Loksatta Movement, challenging the use of 60 lakh litres of water for pitches at three stadiums in the state that would hold IPL matches.
A division bench of Justices V.M. Kanade and M.S. Karnik criticised the BCCI and Maharashtra and Mumbai cricket associations, and said: “Only if water supply to the BCCI is cut, you will understand.”
The Bombay high court suggested that IPL matches be shifted out of Maharashtra, and said it was ultimately the state government’s responsibility and duty to do something about water wastage and impose some kind of restraint.
The judges directed the government to spell out what steps it planned to tackle the issue on Thursday.
“People are more important or your IPL matches How can you be so careless Who wastes water like this This is criminal wastage. You know what the condition is in Maharashtra,” the bench observed.
The Mumbai Cricket Association on Wednesday told the court that approximately over 40 lakh litres of water will be used for seven IPL matches starting this week.
After this, the petitioner said that pending hearing of the PIL, the court should grant an interim order restraining all the cricket associations in Maharashtra from using water to maintain pitches.
The high court said it would consider the interim relief sought by the petitioner at the hearing on Thursday. The court also asked state’s acting advocate-general Rohit Deo to appear for the state government in the matter.
The MCA’s lawyer told the court it was purchasing water to maintain pitches. This water is non-potable and cannot be used for drinking. He also said the association will submit a contingency plan to tackle the water crisis.
The advocate appearing for the petitioner, however, said several villages in Maharashtra did not even have water for sanitation, cooking and other purposes. This non-potable water could be of use in such villages.
The court also observed that the water shortage was not just in the Marathwada region, it was equally bad in Thane.
