Sohail Ali
LAHORE, Mar 05 (APP):After implementation of Pakistan Cricket Board’s new constitution all the regional cricket associations throughout the country have become dysfunctional, but a fake Lahore city cricket association (LCCA) has been registered to continue its illegal anti cricket activities and to misuse the historic LCCA ground.
Under its new constitution PCB is busy in introducing a new system to bring reforms in all the regional cricket bodies of the country and to make them financially viable to continue its activities at grassroots level and to field its teams in the national level cricket tournaments at various levels.
In the present scenario when there is no legal status of the regional bodies , a bogus LCCA has been registered in the city to safeguard its vested interest by using the name of the LCCA in continuation of its negative cricket activities and to fleece money by illegally renting the LCCA ground.
A spokesman of the PCB, while talking to APP here on Thursday, confirmed that PCB will soon be announcing the ad-hoc committees to run the affairs of the respective regional cricket bodies across the country till the time new office bearers are elected for a fresh term.
The spokesman also made it clear that the PCB has also written letters to the owners of the respective grounds of the regional cricket bodies to regain the control of their grounds. The PCB which was earlier paying the salaries of the ground staff throughout the country finally terminated their contracts.
Taking advantage of the prevailing situation of non-existence of regional cricket bodies, a group of individuals known for their negative cricket activities got into action and managed to get a fake LCCA registered to continue its hold on the ground and to hoodwink the club cricket organizers and the private business houses.
For past many months the LCCA ground is being rented out illegally on daily basis and fake receipts of receiving its rental money are being issued. The commercial use of the ground has deprived the local clubs of its vicinity to practice and hold its daily nets and matches on LCCA ground.
Surprisingly the Sports Board Punjab which is the legal owner of the LCCA ground, did not follow the direction of the PCB to take the control of the ground. Sources privy to the SBP told APP that SBP allegedly supported the illegal occupants of the LCCA ground to get a fake LCCA registered to get a legal cover to continue its hold over the ground.
Sources also confirmed that a group of genuine club representatives also brought the entire matter into the knowledge of SBP authorities but nothing was done to take back the control of the LCCA and to discourage the fake LCCA setup.
“The entire situation is in the knowledge of SBP high ups including its Vice Chairman, and unfortunately SBP is playing its part in creation of parallel bodies and encouraging illegal cricket activities at its own ground “, said a spokesman of the representatives of the local clubs of the Lahore city while talking to APP.
He said there is a big question mark on the credibility of the SBP as to which reason it was reluctant to regain the control of the LCCA ground.
“ We will soon be writing a letter to the Prime Minster who is patron of the PCB to bring the entire matter in his knowledge and to seek justice in the larger interest of club cricket of the city”,he said.