Published: Apr 20, 2016, 10:26 PM (IST)
Edited: Apr 20, 2016, 10:26 PM (IST)
Bilaspur: A public interest litigation filed in the Chhattisgarh High Court on Wednesday demanded shifting of the two matches of ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) from the state capital Raipur because of the drought. RTI activists Kunal Shukla and Abhishek Pratap Singh have filed the petition which says Chhattisgarh is facing a massive water crisis and 117 tehsils are hit by drought. There was water scarcity in 70 wards of Raipur Municipal Corporation (RMC) alone so it would not be right to use the water for IPL matches, said their lawyer Vimlesh Bajpayee. Besides the state government, BCCI, RMC and Chhattisgarh State Cricket Association are the respondents. The date of first hearing is yet to be fixed. IPL 2016: RSSC awaiting BCCI’s nod to host matches
IPL matches are scheduled for May 20 and 22 at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium in Raipur. A petition on the same issue was filed in the Bombay High Court earlier this month. The court on Wednesday permitted BCCI to hold the May 1 IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiants in Pune, a week after it ordered shifting to other venues all post-April 30 matches planned in drought-hit Maharashtra. Preity Zinta: IPL has become a whipping boy for franchises
Meanwhile, even after agreeing to host three Indian Premier League (IPL) matches at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Japiur, the Rajasthan State Sports Council (RSSC) is still waiting for the formal go ahead from the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI), the organisers of the cash-rich T20 tournament. Following the verdict of the Bombay High Court to shift IPL matches out of the drought-hit Maharashtra after April 30, Mumbai Indians have decided to play their three home matches in Jaipur. After the Bombay High Court order, the suspended Rajasthan Cricket Association had voluntarily proposed Jaipur as the alternative venue and later the state government too had approached BCCI with the proposal to host the matches at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium.
