Cops urge collector to seize Jamtha stadium for Rs 7.78cr dues

Nagpur: With Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) not paying up for security arrangements during matches, the Nagpur rural police have asked the district collector to seize VCA’s Jamtha stadium. Superintendent of police, Nagpur rural, Anant Rokde wrote to the district collector on August 23, appealing to recover 7.78 crore arrears for providing security at different matches.The SP has invoked legal provisions that allow seizure of property and auctioning it to raise the amount. The due have accumulated over different series, including T20 World Cup, since 2010.
In the letter, a copy of which is with TOI, Rokde has provided details of the dues from VCA. He claimed that around 2.49 crore, including interest till March 31, 2015, has been pending since IPL 2010. The letter also mentions the number of times rural police had reminded Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in Mumbai and VCA in this regard. It says 89.36 lakh was pending since November 2015 for security arrangements during India-South Africa Test match. Rokde also cited the date and outward number of the receipt furnished to VCA.
Rokde said he had no other option but to approach the collector to ensure that the dues were recovered through auctioning VCA property. “We had already mentioned in our letter. Auctioning was the last option left to us,” he said.
Despite unpaid dues, rural police provided security for 11 T20 World Cup matches at Jamtha allowing the arrears to pile by another 4.40 crore for reasons best known to VCA brass. The rural police had claimed that in March 2016, VCA had agreed ‘in principle’ to settle the dues after sorting out various disputes which were reported in TOI in March 2 this year. Rural police sources also claimed VCA members had raised several objections to the bills.
Though VCA president Prakash Dixit refused to comment, it is learnt that VCA had already made its objections known to the police. Sources claimed VCA felt that rural police charged them unjustly during Test match that had ended within four days. The police department, on the other hand, stood their ground. Senior officials claimed the bills were prepared on a standard practice that is followed uniformly for all events.
Jamtha stadium is now in the jurisdiction of city commissionerate after Hingna police station was included in it this year along with Kamptee and Juni Kamptee. Rokde said it would be now up to the city police to consider giving permission for further matches at Jamtha.
IN A NUTSHELL
* SP, Nagpur rural, Anant Rokde, writes to the collector to recover 7.78 crore arrears from VCA for providing security for matches
* Rokde urged the collector to seize VCA property and auction it to raise the amount
* Amount has accumulated over different series, including T20 World Cup, since 2010
* 2.49 crore pending since IPL 2010
* 89. 36 lakh pending since November 2015 when India-South Africa Test match was held
* Police provided security for 11 T20 World Cup matches at Jamtha despite mounting arrears resulting in dues increasing by 4.40 crore