25 December,2010 06:42 AM IST | | Urvashi Seth
After ruckus over leasing football ground for parties, alliance of major business families will be the first to be held on the ground
The 135-year-old Cooperage Football Ground, the venue for many lavish weddings in the past, including that of Anil and Tina Ambani, will witness another big fat wedding almost eight years after it ran into controversies.
This time it is the wedding reception of the nephew of Gunapati Venkata Krishna Reddy (GVK), chairman of GVK Industries which presently mans Mumbai and Bangalore airports, and the daughter of a diamond merchant on December 27.
Aerial view of Cooperage ground
According to Western India Football Association (WIFA), this is the first wedding to take place on the ground since residents of the area started protesting the disturbance caused by private functions held on the groundu00a0 eight years ago, following which a Bombay High court order proscribed it from hosting social dos (see box).
On Monday, 26-year-old Krishna Bhupal, managing director of GVK City Private Limited and nephew of GVK, will tie the knot with Dia Mehta, who hails from a diamond trader's family.
Bhupal has been instrumental in the upgradation of Terminal 2 at Mumbai International Airport, and is presently coordinating the implementation schedule of the city's new domestic terminal.
According to sources, more than 2,000 guests have been invited for the reception.
Confirming the same, Wali Mohammed, assistant secretary, WIFA, said, "Even after the High Court opened Cooperage for hosting wedding ceremonies, we had to wait for a clearance from the Revenue Department, which we got last year. GVK asked us if the ground was available and we said yes.
The ground is set to get a facelift in January and will soon have a new turf," he said. WIFA charges Rs 1 lakh for renting out the ground for weddings. Asked if the ground would be dug up for setting up wedding marquees, Mohammed said there would not be any damage.
Gala affair
Sourcesu00a0 said that the Bhupal family has booked more than 200 rooms at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Colaba. To receive VVIPs, a special counter has been placed at the airport to personally attend to the guests who will be flying in. Over 400 cars have been booked for the big day.
Apparently, GVK has appointed the same travel company that was in charge of the logistics during Barack Obama's visit to the city last month.
Mohan Goyal, owner of the company, Geetee Travels, confirmed that his company is handling the logistics for Bhupal's wedding. He refused to comment further.
Four chartered planes have been booked for the Who's Who attending the wedding.
Guests such as Aviation Minister Praful Patel, industrialist Anil Ambani and many ministers from southern states are invitees to the wedding.
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"Functions are likely to start from December 25 and will end on December 27 with a grand reception," said a source.
Residents unhappy
"We have no problem unless there is noise pollution or haphazard parking.
This is bound to happen if the ground is let out for private functions. We hope WIFA reconsiders its plans of giving the ground for private functions," said Ashad Mehta, president Oval-Cooperage Residents' Association.
A football promoter, Sanjeev Saran, said,"Once the ground gets the new turf, wedding celebrations should not be allowed. It will damage the turf and affect the game."
Court Order
IN 2006, residents of buildings near the Cooperage ground filed a PIL in the Bombay High Court (HC)alleging that leasing the ground for non-sports-related functions violated norms governing the property.
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They also alleged that fireworks, live bands, power generators, and traffic snarls accompanying the celebrations were an inconvenience to them.
Admitting the PIL, the HC restrained WIFA from leasing the ground for private functions until December 31, 2007. The stay was extended till the HC gave its ruling on the PIL.
