leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra legislative Council Vinod Tawde of the BJP on Sunday urged Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Indian Premier league (IPl) Commissioner Rajeev Shukla to re-consider holding of IPl T20 cricket matches in Maharashtra this year, in view of acute drought prevailing in the State.
In a letter written to Shukla, Tawde said that since huge volume of water would be used for the upkeep of cricket pitches in Mumbai’s Wankede Stadium, Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil stadium and Pune’s Subrato Roy stadium where the IPl matches would be played during the forthcoming T20 cricket tournament, it would be in fitness of things that the IPl management reconsidered its plans to hold the matches in Maharashtra this year.
According to Tawde, it requires as large as 60,000 litres of water per day for the maintenance of cricket pitches in each of the three stadiums, where the IPl is going to be played in Maharashtra this year.
“Given that the IPl matches would be played in these stadiums between April 9 and May 15, the three stadiums of Maharashtra would host matches for as many 36 days this year. In all, a staggering 64.8 lakh litres of water would be used for maintaining cricket pitches in the three stadiums of Maharashtra this year. This in effect means that such a huge volume of water would go waste during period the IPl tournament in the state this year,” Tawde said.
“Agreed, the IPl tournament will fetch a sizeable chunk of tax revenue for the state exchequer. But fact remains that Maharashtra is reeling under severe drought. Is it right to allow such a staggeringly huge volume of water to go waste and that too for a cricket tournament which is more of an entertainment than anything elseIJ,” the BJP leader asked.
Reminding Shukla that he had been elected to Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra, Tawde stated in his letter: “Since you have been elected to Upper House of Parliament from Maharashtra, you are aware of the severity of the drought situation in the State. In such a situation, is it proper to let such a huge volume of water to waste — all for the sake of holding IPl matches — in MaharashtraIJ Keeping this in mind, I expect you to take a proper decision in the matter”.