The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Wednesday issued notices to the Board of Control for Cricket in India and nine States on a petition alleging that water would be misused during the upcoming Indian Premier League matches. The petitioner further sought a ban on the tournament, citing wastage of water in the process of preparing the cricket pitches.
A bench, headed by judicial member Jawad Rahim, sought responses from the BCCI, the Ministry of Water Resources and nine States, including Delhi, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana. The panel directed the respondents to file their replies within two weeks.
The plea filed by Alwar resident Haidar Ali read, “There is rampant misuse of water by some individuals and societies and organisations and on the other hand, in major parts of India, people are suffering from scarcity of drinking water. Lakhs of litres of water will be used for preparing the cricket stadium pitches for playing 60 matches, which is adversely affecting the ecosystem and overall ecology of a country already suffering from droughts.”
