The Punjab and Haryana High Court has received a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) to prevent the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and other relevant parties from hosting cricket matches at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, Mohali. Sunaina, the attorney, files the petition with the High Court. Established in 2021, the stadium spans over more than 41 acres and has a 33,000-seat capacity.
In his PIL, law student Nikhil Thamman accused the Punjab state and other defendants of building the stadium “unauthorizedly.” The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests’ 2006 Environment Impact Assessment Notification was flagrantly broken, he emphasized, by the construction.
He also said that the National Board of Wildlife had not given the authorities the required approval for forests and wildlife under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Interestingly, according to his PIL, the project is located within a 10-kilometer radius of the Sector 21 Chandigarh bird sanctuary.
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The petitioner also requested that BCCI-PCA refrain from hosting Indian Premier League (IPL) games. He also asked for an instant injunction to stop the BCCI from selling IPL match tickets. Notably, on March 23, the Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings played their first IPL 2024 encounter at Mullanpur Stadium.
The petitioner claims that the September 14, 2006, announcement required environmental permission from the Central Government before any project larger than 1.5 lakh sq m of built-up area could be constructed. He also noted the directives that the Ministry of Forests and Environment had released on March 15, 2011. If the project site is within the eco-sensitive zone or within 10 kilometers of it, the user agency is required to acquire prior authorization from the National Board for Wildlife standing committee, according to the letter.
“As of right now, there are no designated eco-sensitive zones surrounding the two wildlife sanctuaries of the UT Chandigarh. According to The Tribue, the petitioner said, “Therefore, environment approval was mandatory for any projects that fell within a 10-kilometer radius of the boundaries of two bird sanctuaries: Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary and Chandigarh City Bird Sanctuary in Sector 21.
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