HI donates Rs 10 lakh

Expressing concern at the severe drought situation in parts of Maharashtra, Hockey India  announced a donation of Rs 10 lakh for the people affected by the calamity .HI said it is donating Rs 10 lakh to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadanavis in its attempt to offer a helping hand to fight the severe drought in the state.

The Bombay High Court directed the BCCI to shift all IPL matches out of Maharashtra after April 30 in view of the severe water scarcity in the state.

“The matches scheduled until April 30 can, however, be held in the state,” the court said, adding that it could not afford to ignore the plight of the people affected by drought.

The BCCI will have to relocate13 IPL matches, including the final of the lucrative Twenty20 tournament. Maharashtra was scheduled to host 20 IPL matches in Mumbai, Nagpur and Pune. All three cities are facing a water crisis. The 13 matches that will have to be moved out include six that were to be played in Pune, four in Mumbai and three in Nagpur.

A Bench of Justice VM Kanade and Justice MS Karnik handed out the verdict on a PIL filed by an NGO named Loksatta Movement, challenging the use of large quantities of water in stadiums at a time when the state was reeling from drought conditions. The judges said that water meant for preparing the cricket pitches should be diverted to the affected regions. “Shifting IPL matches won’t solve the problem, but if water is diverted to drought-hit areas, the problem can be solved to some extent,” the Bench said.