DDCA badly wants to kill cricket

The capital's cricket fans are a sad lot. With the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) hanging their heads in shame at being unable to procure necessary clearance certificates from the civic authorities for the T20 match against Sri Lanka next month, there is more gloom in store.

When India were to play South Africa in a Test match in December, there was plenty of drama before the Delhi High Court gave the Kotla permission to host the match. Retired judge Mukul Mudgal supervised the conduct of the match and fans could soak in the atmosphere as Virat Kohli's boys emerged victorious.

Less than two months later, the people who run (or ruin) cricketing affairs at the Kotla have again been caught on sleep mode and were unable to get the same approval from the court for hosting the T20 against the Sri Lankans on February 12.

It's strange how the DDCA has been functioning all these years. The Kotla was fully refurbished for the 2011 ICC World Cup. Since then, so many issues relating to safety of the venue have been hanging fire and none thought it fit to sort out matters.

From the court's observations on Friday, it is clear how it has laid emphasis on the safety of the venue and told the DDCA it should get clearance certificates from the South Delhi Municipal Corporation once and for all.

If news reports are to be believed, amidst all this chaos, only one man has been running around in the race against time to ensure Kotla passes the muster.

Yes, Chetan Chauhan, vice-president, DDCA is aware he is not going to get rest on Sunday as at the start of next week, clearance certificates have to be obtained if the ICC World T20 matches are to be held in the capital. One cannot forget Delhi has even been allotted a semi final.

As it appears now, this is going to be a double whammy for Delhi's cricket fans. With Mahendra Singh Dhoni's side in great form in the T20 format in Australia, it would have been a treat for them to see the team showcase its skills against the Sri Lankans and also other teams in the World Cup.

However, with the court in no mood to go by "sentiments" and all talk of depriving fans of watching good cricket now sounding hollow, the DDCA will have to take all the blame. The safety issues pending are scary and if you read it, you may actually shudder before entering the arena called the Feroz Shah Kotla. Staircases are missing between the second and third floors in the A-Wing, and toilet blocks have been converted into food courts!

The bottom line is, the fire and safety certificates issued by civic authorities each time before a match in the capital have been given more as a goodwill gesture. Clearly, the safety aspect is something which none can compromise on and the DDCA stares at the prospect of the venue being rendered redundant.

The fault lies with the DDCA and none else. For decades, most activity in the DDCA had to do not with cricket but its clubhouse. Called the "Delhi drinking and cards association", this state unit of the Indian cricket board has been unable to change its image.

If non-payment of entertainment tax had landed the DDCA in trouble in December, the issues this time are very specific and different.

Disasters at sporting venues, be it the Heysel Stadium disaster in the UK (football) or the wall collapse at the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) in Nagpur are still fresh in mind.

Given the environment we live in today, safety and security are of utmost importance.

The sad part is that even the IPL franchise Delhi Daredevils is now thinking about alternate venues for holding their home matches this year. They include Indore and Raipur as everyone fears the Kotla is doomed.

Just imagine what the world thinks of India as the ICC World T20 hosts. In Kotla and the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, we have two venues which are rich in history and have seen scintillating cricket over decades.

The Chepauk's problems have to do with two huge stands being cordoned off and not used in even IPL matches. Watching that on television during the previous editions of the tournament was an eyesore. That again involves the municipality corporation in Chennai.

Agreed, new cricketing venues have come up in the country and the charm of old venues is dying.

Yet, if you happen to be a nostalgic cricket fan and live in the capital, you will hate the DDCA for the damage it has done over the years.

(Courtesy of Mail Today.)