Amid increasing conflict between the State Government and Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA), the State has been devoid of the thrill of high voltage T20 cricket matches in India’s most picturesque stadium at Dharamshala.
HPCA headed by former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal’s son Anurag Thakur has been facing series of inquiries on alleged irregularities ordered by the Congress Government in the State and chargesheet against the father-son duo will be submitted in the court in a couple of days HPCA press secretary Mohit Sood said on Friday that schedule for seventh edition of IPl was released on Friday and Himachal Pradesh has not been allotted any match. He blamed the State Government for its vindictive and callous approach for the State missing the IPl matches Sood said that Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) and State cricket body HPCA had approached various Government authorities to provide security cover and administrative support for hosting IPl matches but Government purposely scuttled the request on the directions of the Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and his ‘coterie’ of advisors and officials.
“Despite writing to the State Government, including Police department twice and a HPCA representative meeting them in person for providing the requisite security cover for IPl matches, they didn’t even respond,” said Sood. It was construed by IPl authorities that State Government does not want IPl matches to be played here.
Some of the big ticket IPl matches have been played at Dharamshala during the last four season of Indian Premier league since 2010. “The powers centre’s in the government are so jealous and insecure by the success of the game and infrastructure created by HPCA that they are resorting to vindictive tactics to curb the rise and popularity of the game in Himachal Pradesh, which has put the State firmly on the world map of cricket,” said the HPCA secretary.
He said that the loss of not hosting these matches can’t exactly be quantified but can be well imagined by the popularity the state has gained since it started hosting these matches which were telecast live in 127 countries.The local businesses like the hotels, taxi operators, restaurants, dhabas which used to run to full capacity in the region due to the IPl matches will be adversely hit. It is a great loss to the economy of the state in terms of revenue generated due to tourism and visitor’s influx for the matches.