 "Citing drought, PIL seeks shifting of IPL matches from Raipur")
A public interest litigation (PIL) filed in the Chhattisgarh High Court here on Wednesday demanded shifting of the two matches of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) from the state capital Raipur because of the drought.
RTI activists Kunal Shukla and Abhishek Pratap Singh have filed the PIL which says Chhattisgarh is facing a massive water crisis and 117 tehsils are hit by drought.
There was water scarcity in 70 wards of Raipur Municipal Corporation (RMC) alone so it would not be right to use the water for IPL matches, said their lawyer Vimlesh Bajpayee.
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Besides the state government, the Board Of Control For Cricket In India (BCCI), RMC and Chhattisgarh State Cricket Association are the respondents. The date of first hearing is yet to be fixed.
IPL matches are scheduled for May 20 and 22 at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium in Raipur.
A petition on the same issue was filed in the Bombay High Court earlier this month. The court on Wednesday permitted BCCI to hold the May 1 IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiants in Pune, a week after it ordered shifting to other venues all post-April 30 matches planned in drought-hit Maharashtra.