Bombay High Court questions MCA over the usage of water in Wankhede stadium during Maharashtra drought
- The bench of Justices A S Oka and Vibha Kankanwadi raised the question of water usage at Wankhede stadium while hearing a petition filed in 2016.
- The court asked if the MCA has taken the water for ground maintenance this year.
- The court also directed the cricket board to file an affidavit for further hearing on August 14.
FollowThe Bombay high court questioned Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), whether IPL is a sports activity or commercial activity. A bench of Justices A S Oka and Vibha Kankanwadi raised the questions while hearing a petition filed by civil society ‘Loksatta Movement’ in 2016.
MCA, which manages the Wankhede stadium, had taken water from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for ground and pitch maintenance during this year’s IPL. This raised concerns over water usage for field management during the IPL when a severe drought hit the state.
In the previous edition of IPL, Bombay High Court had asked the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to reschedule all the Indian Premier League matches in Maharashtra from April 30 onwards due to the severe drought conditions hit in the state. Following which the scheduled games were played in other cities, including the final which was played in Bangalore on May 29.
“We would also like to know from the MCA if the IPL is considered as a sports activity or a commercial activity,” Justice Oka was quoted saying by PTI.
The query was made after pointing out that as per the government policy, water supply is divided on priority basis into four categories. As per the policy, the supply of water for drinking purposes comes first, and supply of water for events such as ‘shahi snan’ (royal bath) falls in the last category.
“Category C in the policy talks of water supply for industrial and commercial purposes. So does IPL fall under this category? Is it a commercial activity?” Justice Oka asked.
The court also directed the cricket board to file an affidavit to give details about the other activities which are held at the stadium and whether they fall under sports or commercial activities. The court has postponed the petition for further hearing to August 14.
