‘No permission for corporate boxes at Feroz Shah Kotla’
The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) has not been given any “permission” by the Urban Development Ministry to construct corporate boxes at the Ferozshah Kotla, minister of state for urban development Babul Supriypo clarified in a written reply to Lok Sabha.
Supriyo was responding to suspended BJP MP Kirti Azad’s query on whether the DDCA had got ‘permission to set up corporate boxes and if so, the details thereof.’ In numerous letters and media briefings, former cricketers Bishan Singh Bedi and Azad had been raising the issue of ‘illegal sub-leasing of corporate boxes’ by the DDCA.
Azad, who had earlier alleged that “crores of rupees were made by sub-leasing these boxes”, also asked the ministry whether “the boxes can be used commercially as per MOU and the percentage amount of profit given to the ministry out of amount received from corporate boxes and by organising matches.”
The ministry made it clear that “it has agreed to treat the area earmarked for corporate boxes as advance sale of tickets and for no other commercial activity.” As far as the revenue share was concerned, nothing has been received by the government, he said.
DDCA working president Chetan Chauhan played down the issue and said the association doesn’t need permission from the UDM as the land, on lease, is from the Land and Development Office.
“We pay lease to the L&DO and UDM doesn’t really come into picture. We are not sub-leasing these boxes, just selling tickets for them, earning revenue and paying entertainment tax for the same. It’s not like we are constructing boxes and giving them to someone else on rent or lease. So I don’t see a problem here,” says Chauhan.
Chauhan added that the association would continue to use the corporate boxes for the upcoming World T20 matches scheduled to be held at the Kotla.
BCCI trying to subvert Lodha Panel recommendations: Verma
Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB) secretary Aditya Verma Thursday said that he has filed an application in the Supreme Court (SC) questioning BCCI’s ‘contradictory stance’ on the rival state association BCA.
“BCCI has illegally called one section (BCA) and allowed him to sit in the SGM. The stand of BCCI is in violation of Supreme Court appointed Justice Lodha Panel,” Verma said.
He pointed out that the Justice Lodha Committee report was filed before the SC in January. The committee had recommended to the board to bring Bihar back into its fold and grant the state a full member status. It had also recommended that any internal feud of Bihar cricket administrators should either be resolved at the BCCI Ombudsman or court. PTI
