Pune Test: MCA's urge to splurge

MCA member objects to wasteful expenses planned for Pune Test

The Maharashtra Cricket Association, in deep debt, has decided to felicitate its past cricketers and also splurge on district representatives' stay during the first-ever Test match in Pune between India and Australia from February 23.

Consequent to this a senior member, Madhav Ranade, has written to the Cricket Board's (BCCI) Committee of Administrators' head Vinod Rai objecting to these expenditure, that includes hospitality passes to be distributed to the district representatives to watch the match, as ‘wasteful’, according to sources.

He has also charged that these decisions were taken at the MCA's managing committee meeting, called by its secretary which itself was not as per rules as all those members who had been disqualified by the Supreme Court's judgment based on Justice Lodha reforms were present.

Saying that MCA was ‘disregarding the Lodha reforms’ and was also ‘Not ready to follow the Supreme Court's order’, Ranade has expressed his hope that there would be some clarity after the COA's meeting on Friday.

He has also asked for an administrator to be appointed for the conduct of the match as he fears costs for the Test match will spiral uncontrollably.

He has also stated that the current members listen only to disqualified former BCCI secretary and MCA president, Ajay Shirke.

He has asked for the appointment of an administrator by SC, BCCI or COA "to oversee all the contracts for this match as well as examine all the expenses as the current committee, which takes directions only from Mr Ajay Shirke, will really go totally out of control as they know this the last chance for them to enjoy at the association's expense," Ranade has charged.

"The members of the districts have all been promised 25 passes each to oblige their district members for the match. They will enjoy hospitality at the association's expense for 10 days. I feel this is a wasteful expenditure and the committee needs to be controlled by the COA or the BCCI," the letter from Ranade to Rai stated.

"Our association is in debt to the tune of more than Rs 300 crores and in spite of this money is wasted for unplanned meetings. Further the association plans to felicitate Test players who have represented Maharashtra before the inaugural Test match without any sanction for the expenses likely to be incurred.

"Besides they plan to felicitate Mr Shirke as well! It really is surprising that the members still feel the need to do so when the association is in such a huge debt under his leadership," Ranade has written.