Happy with some recommendations, need more clarity on others: Pawar

New Delhi: Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar speaks during the Economic Editors' Conference-2010 in New Delhi on Wednesday. PTI Photo by Shahbaz Khan(PTI10_27_2010_000167A)

The Mumbai Cricket Association is agreeable to many of the recommendations on the count of “transparency and ethics”, but it is yet to take a firm decision on majority of the other points the Supreme Court-appointed three-member Justice (retired) R.M. Lodha committee has authored on best practises and reforms the Board can adopt in order to provide clean administration.

AGM on Jan. 22

MCA president Sharad Pawar has asked the officer-bearers and executive committee members to give in writing their opinions on all aspects of the recommendations. The MCA will meet again to discuss the matter. The MCA’s AGM is scheduled for January 22, and many of the 330-odd club-members are likely to raise important aspects of the Lodha committee recommendations.

But, after the MCA managing committee meeting here on Tuesday, Pawar, when asked if a single administrator could be blamed for the plight the BCCI finds itself in, shot back saying: “Administrators are not responsible for the situation.”

“We are happy with the recommendations. There are certain areas we have to discuss with the BCCI. We want more clarity.

“For instance, MCA has two or three grounds. And, in fact, we want more grounds. People have seen the number of teams playing matches at the Azad and the Cross maidans during weekends. One of the suggestions is that if an association has more than one ground, it has to be given up for hockey or tennis. The size required for these two sport are different. We cannot play cricket on the ground which is given for hockey or tennis.

“There are practical difficulties which we will discuss with the Board. In principle, we would accept many suggestions, but many more important ones have to be discussed with the BCCI.”

It is understood that the MCA committee will have no issues with appointing CEOs and getting more women involved in administration.

An MCA statement said: “The managing committee met today to deliberate on the recommendations of the Lodha Committee and decided to accept the recommendations made for transparency and ethics.

“There are certain clauses of administrative and cricketing operations for which the association shall forward its views to the BCCI as advised by them.”