Why should your activities not be stopped due to non-compliance, NGT asks six cricket stadiums

The six stadiums in question are Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur, Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, Raipur, Dr DY Patil stadium, Navi Mumbai, Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow, Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad and Barabati Stadium, Cuttack.

“In such a background, the submission of counsel for the applicant is that all the activities in these six stadiums should be completely stopped and they should not be allowed to carry out any sports activity therein,” the NGT noted in its order. It thus directed, “Hence a notice is issued to the following six stadiums to explain as to why all their activities should not be stopped on the ground of non-compliance of the Tribunal’s order and not submitting the requisite information.”

The Arun Jaitley Stadium is the home ground of IPL team Delhi Capitals, the Ekana Stadium is the home ground of Lucknow Super Giants while the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium is the home ground of Sunrisers Hyderabad team. The Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur is one of the two venues where the Rajasthan Royals team play their home matches.

The Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) had on April 15 submitted a compilation of the responses on information related to monthly and yearly quantum of water used for irrigating grounds, proportion of treated water, and fresh water received. Five stadiums and associations – Saurashtra Cricket Association, Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association, Green Park Stadium, Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association and Maharashtra Cricket Association had submitted their response.

The Saurashtra Cricket Association, for instance, submitted to the CGWA that since installation of a sewage treatment plant (STP) was not feasible, it was using treated 1 lakh litres/day of treated water supplied by the Rajkot Municipal Corporation. The Maharashtra Cricket Association has implemented a rainwater harvesting project at Gahunje stadium, Pune, and are also in the process of constructing a STP for circular use of water.

An award-winning journalist with 14 years of experience, Nikhil Ghanekar is an Assistant Editor with the National Bureau [Government] of The Indian Express in New Delhi. He primarily covers environmental policy matters which involve tracking key decisions and inner workings of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. He also covers the functioning of the National Green Tribunal and writes on the impact of environmental policies on wildlife conservation, forestry issues and climate change. Nikhil joined The Indian Express in 2024. Originally from Mumbai, he has worked in publications such as Tehelka, Hindustan Times, DNA Newspaper, News18 and Indiaspend. In the past 14 years, he has written on a range of subjects such as sports, current affairs, civic issues, city centric environment news, central government policies and politics. ... Read More

Stay updated with the latest sports news across Cricket, Football, Chess, and more. Catch all the action with real-time live cricket score updates and in-depth coverage of ongoing matches.

© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd