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Journalism of Courage
Think humble existence, and the Board of Control for Cricket in India BCCI doesn8217;t exactly jump to mind.
With the just-released balance sheet showing an annual net income of Rs 200 crore, the richest cricket board in the world is equally admired and grudged for its riches.
Yet the BCCI8217;s most obvious face8212;its administrative offices at Veer Nariman Road8212;easily qualifies as the most modest corporate headquarters.
Located, and almost hidden, in one of the several nooks of the massive Brabourne Stadium, you would miss the nameplate if you weren8217;t specifically looking for it.
Grilled doors and 21 steps8212;counted to avoid tripping in the dim light8212;precede this first-floor office.
Friendly, approachable officials cannot distract the eye from the peeling roof in the passageway and the desperately taped walls.
Files, though stacked neatly, cramp the shelves spread over one room, divided into three parts. Despite India drawing a blank in trophies in the last season, the nation8217;s net aggregate haul still commands one entire section.
BCCI Executive Secretary Ratnakar Shetty admitted the headquarters are cramped considering the stacking area required but says day-to-day work is not being hampered.
8216;8216;Still, we do need more space, especially considering our stature and the paper overload,8217;8217; Shetty said.
The Mumbai Cricket Association MCA offered to host the central headquarters at its Wankhede stadium premises in 2003. And MCA Joint Secretary Lalchand Rajput, who raised the issue at a recent working committee meeting in Delhi, said all sanctions had been procured.
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DEEP POCKETS
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8226; Annual income 2004-05 Rs 200 crore Money spent on meetings Story continues below this ad On match fees to players 8226; International About Rs 9 crore |
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8216;8216;The BCCI had agreed in principle and there was a general consensus that the office should look better and have better facilities, especially when we have people visiting us from all over the world,8217;8217; Rajput said.
He added that the MCA had offered a 10,000-sq ft area for a plush facility, complete with a conference room and library. 8220;The matter will be pursued by the BCCI8217;s headquarters committee,8217;8217; Rajput said, admitting that there had also been talk of shifting base to Delhi.
8216;8216;Almost all government offices relating to permissions and paperwork are in Delhi, but the MCA was keen on keeping it in Mumbai. The matter is under deliberation,8217;8217; Shetty said.
None of this means one will see a 8216;We8217;re moving8217; sign any time soon. 8216;8216;The BCCI had set up a committee to spearhead the relocation, but it has been disbanded. We will be setting up a new committee soon,8217;8217; said BCCI Treasurer Jyoti Bajpai.
It is still not clear why the issue of renovating or relocating was brought up only as late as 2003. The subsequent delay was owing to the board finalising the new location.
The physical appearance and modest size of the BCCI8217;s administrative headquarters are neither a reflection of nor have any bearing on Indian cricket or the way the team plays on the field.
But when everyone seems to agree that a cosmetic change would be in keeping with the Board of Control for Cricket in India 8217;s stature and deep coffers, why is the world8217;s richest cricket board still stuck in a 2BHK?
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What you can do with Rs 200 crore
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8226; Buy about 3 acres of prime mill land property in Mumbai, among the most expensive in the world, and fifteen 1,500-sq ft flats in South Mumbai. |
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