NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday lashed out at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for paying peanuts to North-eastern state associations. While hearing the BCCI’s affidavit on the implementation of the Lodha Panel recommendations, the court felt that money was being allocated to some of the full-member associations without maintaining any parity.
After being affiliated in 2009, the state bodies of Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland have allegedly received only `50 lakh from the BCCI. “They were supposed to pay us regularly. But, we haven’t received any funds after 2009,” Ahidur Rahman, Nagaland Cricket Association’s joint secretary, stated. Even as the apex body lashed out at BCCI, the board has formed the New Area Development Committee, and its first meeting was held on Sunday.
While BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur has been named as the convenor, Abhishek Dalmiya has been appointed as the chairman of the committee. The board’s move is being considered as a ‘late response’, but BCCI officials feel otherwise. “We were discussing the issue for long. We want to spread the game to all parts of the country,” Dalmiya told Express from Kolkata.
The committee, which has appointed Meghalaya Cricket Association joint secretary Naba Bhattacharya as its coordinator, has decided to focus on the North-east and the Union Territories. “We want to keep a pan-India approach,” Dalmiya said, adding they will be working to develop the game.