Senior BJP leader Vinod Tawde on Sunday dashed off a letter to Indian Premier League (IPL) chief Rajiv Shukla questioning the practicality of holding matches in Maharashtra on the grounds that the maintenance of the cricket pitches will require lakhs of litres of water which could quench the parched earth in the drought-stricken state.
The letter made available to the press said the IPL has decided to hold games in three stadiums—Wankhede (Mumbai), D Y Patil (Navi Mumbai) and Subroto Roy (Pune)—between April 9 and May 15. The pitch maintenance requires 60,000 litres of water everyday. Thus, in 36 days, the three pitches will consume a total of 64.8 lack litres of water.
In his letter, Tawde admitted that holding IPL matches will no doubt fills the state coffers but argued that when the state is reeling under drought, it is not proper or feasible to hold a match. The BJP leader requested to reconsider his decision keeping in mind that the water wasted on pitches can be sent to drought-hit areas.
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