Why green activists are unhappy over Nagpur hosting WT20 matches

Green activists are seeing red over the use of Jamtha Stadium in Nagpur for T20 World Cup matches Nagpurbased law students along with social activists have moved the National Green Tribunal western zone Nagpur alleging that the stadium was given the green light to host 11 T20 matches without the mandatory safety and environmental checksThe petitioners contend that the Vidarbha Cricket Association puts the lives of cricket fans at risk during T20 World Cup matches File picClaiming that the Vidarbha Cricket Association VCA which manages the stadium skipped the fire audit and the authorization from the ministry of environment they asked the tribunal on Tuesday to order a stay on matchesThe petition was moved by lawyer Asim Sarode on behalf of Nagpurbased Jai Jawan Jai Kisan secretary Arun Wankar law student Ankita Shah and RTI activist Toram Harishkumar Naidu against the VCA the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board the Nagpur Improvement Trust the Nagpur Municipal Corporation the Nagpur divisional commissioner the superintendent of police rural the district collector and others The plaint has been moved under sections 14 and 15 of the National Green Tribunal Act 2010 read with Section 18The petitioners alleged that the stadium was not properly inspected by the authorities concerned and was granted permission to host the matches in haste They claimed that the Jamtha Stadium has flouted rules time and again Not only has it not been given the goahead by the ministry of environment but it has also not been authorised for use by the Airports Authority of India they said The stadium is in close proximity of the Nagpur airportldquoSuch illegalities and irregularities have been in place since 2004 The subdivisional officer had granted permission to the stadium on December 1 2004 for nonagricultural use But the VCArsquos purpose of purchasing this land was clear from the start mdash to construct a cricket stadium and a clubhouse and use them for allied activitiesrdquo stated the petitionRTI revealsAnkita Jain 27 one of the petitioners told midday that the students had found out using the RTI Act that the VCA had failed to get the mandatory environmental clearance before constructing the stadium ldquoTo date it has not obtained it violating provisions of the 2006 notification of the ministry of environment and forestsrdquoAgainst the backdrop of such irregularity the Nagpur district collectorrsquos issuance of the performance licence to the VCA for the T20 matches has also come under a cloud ldquoIt is a clear manipulation of the lawsrdquo alleged JainSarode said the VCA has taken up consent on a casebycase basis ldquoIt had written to the chief fire officer at Nagpur on October 23 2013 seeking a provisional noobjection certificate NOC for a oneday international cricket match scheduled for October 30 that year This letter indicates that the VCA did not bother to obtain an NOC from the fire department but applied for one only when matches were to be playedrdquo He alleged that such halfhearted measures of the VCA put the lives of the large number of visitors at risk during matches