Kotla faces deadline for fourth Test, Pune on standby
The Indian board has given Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) a week’s time to get all the necessary clearance they would need to host the December 3 to 7 final India-South Africa Test. In case they fail, Pune will be hosting the fourth Test.
Considering that DDCA will first have to clear the much-overdue Rs 24.45 crore entertainment tax from earlier games and penalties, plus get six other clearances; Feroz Shah Kotla finds itself in a race against time as he tries to meet the November 17 deadline set by the Indian board.
Though, DDCA treasurer Ravinder Manchanda sounded confident of getting the clearances, he did concede that the unpaid entertainment tax was a thorny issue. “We need clearances from Municipal Corporation of Delhi, fire and safety, traffic, law and order, disaster management department. A structural certificate too needs to be submitted. These are routine permissions and we are confident of getting them at the earliest,” Manchanda said.
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The DDCA is willing to pay an estimated Rs 1 crore as an advance entertainment tax, officials are worried that the excise, entertainment and luxury tax office, which falls under the Delhi government,’won’t give them the green signal for the match because of pending dues. To resolve the entertainment tax issue, the DDCA officials are meeting Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday. “Hosting an international Test match is a matter of pride for both DDCA and Delhi. We will do what we can to host this game. All depends on our meeting with Arvind Kejriwal. We are hopeful that everything will be sorted and DDCA, as per schedule, would host the Test and submit the necessary clearances,” says Manchanda.
