The Bombay High Court on Wednesday barred the Maharashtra Cricket Association from using water from the Pavana dam for maintaining Pune ground for IPL 2018 matches till further order, ANI reported. This comes days after IPL matches of Chennai Super Kings were shifted from Chennai to the Maharashtra Cricket Association’s International Stadium in Pune in the wake of the ongoing protest against the Centre’s negligence for the formation of Cauvery Management Board.
The court had earlier issued a notice to the MCA asking how will they arrange water for maintaining the ground for IPL matches in Pune. The notice was issued on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the NGO Loksatta Movement in 2016, which had maintained that 60 lakh litres of water was proposed to be used to maintain the pitches in the three venues nominated for IPL-2016 in Maharashtra.
Opposing holding of IPL matches in Maharashtra, the NGO had raised concerns over water usage for ground management at a time when the state was reeling under drought. A division bench of Justice A S Oka and Justice R I Chagla had directed the MCA to reply to the court by April 18.
Lawyer Rakesh Singh, appearing for the petitioners, informed the court that six IPL-2018 matches, which were to be held in Chennai, have now been shifted to Pune. Singh said as Pune receives water from Pawana river, if the matches are to be held in its stadium, the state government must tell the court how it proposes to provide water for the same.