No matches at Dharamsala stadium till completion of probe: Virbhadra

The chief minister said,“The constitution of the HPCA and its election procedure was improper. HPCA has fooled everyone and is using the stadium for commercial purposes even though it is on government lease.” He added that land provided for dormitories for the players was used for the construction of a luxury hotel.

The HPCA is under a scanner following registration of vigilance case against it under sections 406,420,120-B for alleged irregularities in the use of land extended to it by government on lease. The HPCA is accused of commercial use of the land against norms and shifting the assets and liabilities of a society to a company,without taking the government into notice.

The CM said “HPCA had resorted to turning cricket into a business and thus has been cheating sportsmen and state interests and this cannot be taken lightly. Thus,a vigilance case had to be registered to find out the exact irregularities.”

Anurag Thakur is a former HP Ranji Trophy cricketer and holds the post of joint secretary in the BCCI. Anurag is also the face of Youth Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and is a Member of Parliament from Hamirpur.

The HPCA put Dharamsala stadium on the international map when it hosted the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches in 2010. Since then the stadium has been hosting Kings XI Punjab’s home matches with success. The picturesque stadium earned accolades from all corners of the world and also hosted a one day match between India and England in January 2013.

‘Punjab and Haryana trying to crush Himachal under their boots’

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today alleged that Punjab and Haryana were trying to crush HP and did not want to see the hill state prosper.

Speaking at the Idea Exchange programme,the CM lamented that while several projects constructed in HP were providing benefit to the two states,the people of Himachal were being kept bereft of these.

“Punjab and Haryana treat us as if we are Pakistan. I have love for Punjab. I have love for Haryana. I consider them part and parcel of India. I want the states to prosper. However,when Himachal tries to become prosperous they have a problem. What type of neighbours are they? It hurts me. What are they trying to do? They want to crush us under their boots. Till I am the CM I will not let it happen,” Singh said.

He said that due to construction of the Bhakra Dam and the BSL (Beas-Sutlej Link) canal,thousands of people were displaced. At places,people of a whole constituency had to be evacuated with the promise that they would be provided land at alternate places. Some were provided with land in Rohtak and Karnal. Others were given land in Rajasthan. Singh said: “I visited these places. Land had been given on the Rajasthan-Pakistan border. If one field was in Rajasthan,another in Pakistan. Due to lack of proper irrigation facilities,people could not settle there and returned. To get due share from projects installed in our state,I had to approach the Supreme Court. We have been given 7.19 per cent share in BBMB,on basis of the Punjab Re-organisation Act.”

The CM said that while the fields in Punjab were being irrigated with water from HP,the state itself was bereft of the benefits of the projects. “If water is going to the fields in these states,it is because of us. Yet they do not want Himachal to prosper,” he added.