Azad Maidan patrons fear metro construction work will affect cricket training in Mumbai
WITH THE construction of the Colaba-Bandra-Seepz Metro Rail line set to start next year, an important crucible of cricket in the city, the Azad Maidan, is set to be rendered inaccessible to the city’s sportsmen. Last week, officers of the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) visited the sprawling ground to mark off areas that will have to be eventually cordoned off which left members of the clubs in Azad Maidan, some of them as old as 100 years, a worried lot.
The MMRC has not confirmed how many pitches will be affected or even exactly when the construction work will begin, but panic has already set in for the patrons of the ground.
ND Parmar, Azad Maidan’s ground in-charge for 30 years now, says he has lost all hope of saving the pitches. He says, “The metro construction will take at least five years. During that time,cricketers will not be able to practise here. There were suggestions that an alternative ground be given near Wadala, but it will take a long time to get a ground ready there. Where will the children play till then? This decision is going to affect cricket and the sport will lose out.”
Centrally located, Azad Maidan is close to both Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and Churchgate station. Children coming from any of the lines — Central, Western and Harbour — can easily reach the ground. Shifting to Wadala will put the wards in a disadvantageous position, they said.
Abhishek Jha, a 13-year-old aspiring cricketer, comes from Bhiwandi everyday to practise on the grounds. “They should not take this ground away from us. It is the ground where every cricketer’s dream has come true. If we get a ground in Wadala it will be very difficult for me to travel from my home. Having said that, I will still continue my practise, wherever the grounds are.”
Dismissing the marking activity as routine, Ashwini Bhide, Managing Director of MMRC, said, “There is still time for the work to begin and measuring the ground is a routine activity. The file for the possession of land has been sent by the PWD department to the Sports department. Construction activities will take place only on three hectares of the total 21-hectare ground for around three to four years.”
The Mumbai Cricket Association Joint Secretary,PV Shetty,says, “We are going to request the government to give replacement for Azad Maidan. We have no problem with Metro construction but we don’t know by when we will be able get the Maidan back. Anyway, Mumbai doesn’t have enough grounds left and Azad Maidan is one of the oldest grounds where thousands of cricketers practise daily in various clubs. The government should look to provide an alternative ground so that young cricketers do not suffer.”
The ground has sentimental values to many cricketers who have been playing on the grounds since school-level. Indian cricketer Wasim Jaffer has played on the grounds for more than a decade and has many memories attached with it.
Reminiscing about the past, Jaffer says, “The ground is special not just for me but for every cricketer in Mumbai. We all have played there in our growing years. But at the same time, the metro is important to the city’s development. It will affect cricket but nothing can be done about it. It is only for a few years. After that all the citizens will only benefit from it.”
