Tawde opposes IPL matches in state
Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Vinod Tawde on Sunday opposed IPL matches being played in Maharashtra in view of the ongoing severe drought in the state. The matches are scheduled to begin from April 3,
In a letter written to IPL commissioner Rajiv Shukla on Sunday, Mr Tawde said that to conduct the IPL matches in Maharashtra, the state would need around 65 lakh litres of water, which is a clear wastage of water under the present circumstances.
Mr Tawde, while speaking to this newspaper said, “When we demand action against spiritual leader Asaram Bapu for wasting water on Holi or against the organisers of rain dances for wastage of water, why not IPL, which leads to wastage of around 65 lakh litres of water.”
He elaborated that in Maharashtra, the IPL matches are organised at Wankhede stadium of Mumbai, D.Y. Patil stadium of Navi Mumbai and Subrato Roy Sahara stadium at Pune. Every day, each of the cricket ground needs around 60,000 litres of water for its maintenance irrespective of whether there is a match being played or not.
In the state, the first match is scheduled in Pune on April 7 and the last match is on May 15. This means all three grounds together will need approximately 65 lakh litres of water for this IPL season. The local municipal corporations will have to make this water available.
Adressing the IPL commissioner, Mr Tawde pointed put that he had been elected from Maharashtra as a Rajya Sabha MP. He went on to ask if Mr Shukla, despite knowing the situation in the state was comfortable with the idea of such a gross waste of a precious resource. “I believe IPL matches should be shifted out of state or can be postponed till the end of the monsoon,” Mr Tawde said. He added that if Mr Shukla did not take his demand seriously, he would raise the issue in the state legislature.
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