Ending days of speculation, Delhi today got the go ahead to host the World Twenty20 semifinal as scheduled on March 30 after the embattled DDCA got the requisite clearances to use the contentious R P Mehra Block at the Feroze Shah Kotla Stadium.
The match had been thrown into jeopardy over lack of completion certificate for the block from the South Delhi Municipal Corporation.
The Delhi and District Cricket Association had been given an extended deadline till 2pm today to furnish the clearance, which came after a meeting of its officials with Justice (Retd) Mukul Mudgal, the Supreme Court-appointed observer for DDCA.
"The DDCA stands have been cleared till 2017. Not only this match but all the IPl matches will go ahead as planned. Decks were cleared after Justice Mudgal was convinced that there would no legal problem in holding the matches," DDCA treasurer Ravinder Manchanda told PTI.
Today's meeting with Mudgal was attended by DDCA working President Chetan Chouhan, treasurer Ravinder Manchanda, and an ICC legal advisor.
The DDCA now has the go ahead to use the R P Mehra Block, which has a seating capacity of around 2000. The BCCI also confirmed that the first semifinal will be played in Delhi as scheduled.
"The BCCI today reconfirmed that the first semifinal (Men and Women) of the ICC World T20 India 2016 will be held at Feroz Shah Kotla in New Delhi on March 30, 2016 as per the announced schedule," a media advisory of the Board said.
"This Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) have informed the BCCI and ICC that they have obtained all necessary approvals, including the clearance for using the Old Club House and that the entire stadium will be made available for all the matches of the ICCWT20," it added.
BCCI Secretary Anurag Thakur expressed satisfaction at the developments and said that cricket fans in Delhi can look forward to some exciting contest at the Feroz Shah Kotla.
Earlier yesterday, the DDCA withdrew its petition seeking a direction to South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) to issue the requisite certificate for the block, which is at the centre of a controversy.
The R P Mehra Block has not been used in the World T20 matches that has taken place at the Kotla so far.
The ICC was concerned about the prospect of the matches being held at Kotla in front of empty stands, especially from the broadcast point of view. The world cricket's governing body had also made representation to Mudgal voicing their concerns.
Prior to this, DDCA's attempt to get relief from the Delhi High Court had failed.
The petition by the cricketing body seeking a direction to South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) to issue the certificate for the R P Mehra block came up for hearing before Justice A K Pathak, who referred the plea to a division bench observing that DDCA's issues are pending before it.
While Bengaluru was kept on stand-by for the semi-final, the problem was the sitting capacity of the Chinnaswamy Stadium which is only 35,000 compared to Kotla's 45,000.
Even if Kotla had lost around 2000 seats, it would have been 43,000 which is still 8000 seats more than Chinnaswamy.
DDCA working president Chetan Chauhan thanked SDMC for giving the necessary clearances.
"On behalf of the DDCA, I am very pleased to inform that we have got the clearance from South Delhi Municipal Corporation today to use the RP Mehra Block. I am thankful to SDMC and Justice Mukul Mudgal for giving us the approval to use this structure," elated Chauhan told reporters on the sidelines of the World Twenty20 match.
"I would also like to inform you besides this structure, the other portions which were there we have received occupation certificates or completion certificates from SDMC. With this last approval, I am very happy to say on behalf of DDCA that we have received all the approvals. We have been given permission to use the entire stadium permanently without any hindrance," he said.
Chauhan also thanked the BCCI and ICC for their support.
"I am also thankful to the BCCI and the ICC for having shown patience and giving us extra 3 days to get this permission. With this permission the semifinal will be played in Delhi on the 30th March. All doubts have been cleared now," the DDCA official said.
"This permission is upto December 2017 that is what the notification is but please remember this notification has already been extended from 2014 to 2017 and I am sure this will go on. So there will be no obstruction till December 2017."