Mumbai: In view of the
ongoing drought in the state, the Bombay High Court (HC) on Wednesday said
ideally Indian Premier League (IPL) matches should be shifted elsewhere, where
there is no water crisis.
Hearing a petition
filed by Loksatta Movement which challenged the use of 60 lakh litres of water
to maintain pitches at three stadiums where IPL matches would be held from
April 9, a division bench headed by Justice V M Kanade said it was the state
government's responsibility to impose restraint on use of water during a
drought.
While posting the Public
Interest Litigation (PIL) for hearing today, the court sought responses from
all other respondents, including the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium,
Vidarbha Cricket Association, Maharashtra government and the civic bodies of
Mumbai and Nagpur.
The HC has now asked
the government to inform them what they propose to do and the steps it plans to
take in such a situation. With the petitioner asking for court to pass orders
to restrain MCA from using water for preparing grounds, Justice Kanade said that
this issue would be considered on Thursday.
The IPL is set to begin
from April 9 with the first match to be played in Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium
while the opening ceremony will be held on April 8. A total of 20 matches will
be played in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur. The final is also scheduled to be held at
the Wankhede Stadium on May 29.
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