BMC to send notice to MCA again

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will again send notice to the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) at Kandivali for violating terms and conditions.

Deputy municipal commissioner Chandrashekhar Chore informed the Civic Improvements Committee on Thursday that MCA had not replied to the earlier notice sent by BMC. “The new notice will be sent by the superintendent of gardens and the local deputy municipal commissioner to MCA for violation of terms and conditions of the land agreement,” he said.

The issue was raised by Congress corporator Mohsin Haider, who said that there were a lot of violations on MCA’s Kandivali plot. “There is a bar and restaurant functioning, which is in complete violation of the norms under which the plot was given. While the MCA charges lakhs of rupees as fees, common people are not allowed inside the ground,” he said.

Shiv Sena corporator Raju Pednekar demanded that the BMC submit an action taken report to the Improvements Committee on this issue. “The issue is being raised in the committee time and again, and the civic body assures to take action. But no action has been taken so far,” he said.

In 2004, the BMC had allotted to MCA a plot at Mahavir Nagar, Kandivali, measuring 42,290.6 sq m and earmarked as a playground, for setting up a cricket academy.

But the plot has been mired in controversy, with allegations of MCA flouting civic norms and setting up a recreational club rather than a cricket academy. BMC had issued notice to MCA in January this year after members of the Improvements Committee visited the Kandivali plot for a site inspection and cited several violations there.

Some of the violations included not paying the license fee of the club and not presenting audited reports to the BMC so far. Further, no board had been placed indicating that the ground was open to the general public and details of members of the club had not been provided to the BMC. The MCA had also not provided membership to local corporators.