High Court leaves Ferozshah Kotla’s old club house fate to SDMC

The Delhi High Court left it to SDMC to take a call on the structural safety of the old club house, also known as the R P Mehra block of Ferozshah Kotla stadium.

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The centre square at the Ferozshah Kotla on Wednesday. (Express Photo by Praveen Khanna)

The Delhi High Court on Friday left it to South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) to take a call, including taking a second opinion, on the structural safety of the old club house, also known as the R P Mehra block of Ferozshah Kotla stadium as a stable structure to accommodate broadcasters and their equipment for the upcoming Indian Premier League matches.

Justice Rajiv Shakdher cautioned the muncipal corporation that in its “enthusiasm to give seal of approval (to the block), don’t end up making a mistake. If you make a mistake someone from your organisation will pay for it.” The judge did not pass any order of allowing IPL matches in Delhi, which is scheduled to begin from April 23. The court told the SDMC to go through the structural stability reports regarding the block, given by the civic body’s consultant and the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) and to file an affidavit before May 10 saying it was satisfied with the findings.

Meanwhile, a senior SDMC official said that “Today we submitted before court that structural safely is responsibility of owner/occupier solely as per Building Bylaws and Delhi Municipal Act.”

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Thereafter, the court directed DDCA to submit its structural safety reports to SDMC and SDMC shall get these vetted by the reputed government institution like IIT or RITES to ascertain veracity of news report.” The report by SDMC’s consultant had said the structure could be used subject to the DDCA giving undertakings that the old club house conforms to the National Building Code and the Indian Standards code. However, the DDCA expert had said the block can be used to accommodate a small number of persons and about five tonne of equipment. The DDCA had earlier told the court that if the old club house cannot be used to put up the broadcasting equipment and related personnel, IPL matches scheduled to be held there from April 23, with the first match against Kings XI Punjab, would not take place at this stadium.

The court was hearing an application moved by DDCA’s Administrator, former Supreme Court judge Vikramajit Sen, seeking permission to use the old club house to set up the equipment of the broadcasters, saying that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has said no match can be held there without that.

The application was moved in the main petition filed in 2016 by one N C Bakshi claiming that the old club house was unauthorised as it was built without any sanctioned plan and was a threat to public safety and human life and liable to be demolished. The same issue had surfaced during the Sri Lanka Test in December.

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