The Bombay High Court on Thursday refused to stay the first match of the Indian Premier League (IPL), and asked the Maharashtra government to hold an inquiry to know the source of water provided to cricket stadiums.
It was hearing a PIL petition by Loksatta Movement that 60 lakh litres of water was being wasted for maintaining pitches for the IPL when the State is reeling under its worst drought.
'Cricket associations use groundwater’
Senior counsel Rafiq Dada, appearing for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), told the Bombay High Court on Thursday that cricket pitches were not watered a day before the match and on the day of the match. Various cricket associations harvested rainwater and used groundwater for the pitches.
A Division Bench of Justices V.M. Kanade and M.S. Karnik was hearing a public interest litigation petition filed by NGO Loksatta Movement contending that 60 lakh litres of water was being wasted for maintaining cricket pitches for the IPL at a time when Maharashtra is reeling under its worst drought and facing an acute shortage of water.
