Ludhiana’s only cricket pitch dug up to host Vajpayee’s meet

LUDHIANA, AUG 1: Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's rally here on August 7, which will kick off the Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party e...

LUDHIANA, AUG 1: Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s rally here on August 7, which will kick off the Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party election campaign, has run into a big controversy over the venue, the only cricket ground in the city. The Ludhiana District Cricket Association (LDCA) and sports lovers in large numbers have expressed their outrage over the digging up of the pitch and planting of a large number of poles for erecting a huge pandal at the Government College for Boys in the Civil Lines.

The preparations for the rally have reportedly disrupted two tournaments and jeopardised 19 inter-district and state championships, besides a scheduled Ranji Trophy match. “Preparing the pitch again would mean an expenditure of Rs 10 lakhs,” says Vinod Chitkara, General Secretary of the LDCA, “as not only have the turf wickets been damaged, but two practice wickets have also been trampled upon by trucks, damaging the soft earth and the grass, apart from the holes made by the poles.”

Work for erectingthe 400 ft by 250 ft pandal is going on round the clock and police officials in charge of the PM’s security are already camping on the grounds. In fact, irate members of the LDCA, which is affiliated to the Punjab Cricket Association, today blocked traffic in front of the stadium demanding that the venue be shifted elsewhere after they were allegedly denied entry into the stadium.

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However, SP (City) A S Rai, in-charge of the security arrangements, has denied the charge and said that the police were only regulating the entry of people by maintaining a register. “In view of the PM’s security, the entry will be restricted only on the day of the rally,” he said.

Meanwhile, the association members are meeting the organisers, including the local Rajya Sabha MP, Lala Lajpat Rai, to demand shifting of the venue. “There is no other cricket ground in the city and we have been patronising this ground for the past several years; the politicians are not bothered about it,” said an angry LDCA member. LDCA sourcessaid they would demand a compensation of Rs 10 lakhs from the government to rebuild the pitch.

A senior professor of the college, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “It is better if political parties do not use the college campus for political purposes though I doubt if the organisers need to seek permission from the college when the PM himself is the guest or whether anyone can actually deny him permission.”

It is for the first time that the college grounds are being used for a political rally. Earlier, two massive rallies of the then PM I K Gujral and Congress president Sonia Gandhi have been held in the grounds of the Government College for Women.

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The only stadium in the city, Guru Nanak Stadium, has already suffered because of political rallies and star nights with the synthetic turf of the stadium damaged beyond repair.

Not quite cricket

PITCH dug up, large number of poles planted for erecting a huge pandal, turf wickets damaged, two practice wickets trampled upon bytrucks

Two tournaments disrupted; 19 inter-district and state championships, besides a scheduled Ranji Trophy match jeopardised.

Work for erecting the 400 ft by 250 ft pandal going on round the clock, police officials in charge of the Prime Minister’s security already camping on the grounds.

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