With more than half of the state facing severe drought this season, it sure stands to reason if the Maha Govt could have done better than to go ahead with hosting the 16 IPL games in Mumbai and Pune. 21.6 lakh litres of water needed per ground for its maintenance during the competition one just feels if , in the present circumstances, this is not a big waste a very valuable natural resource?
image : http://media.newindianexpress.com/article1240230.ece/ALTERNATES/w460/25pitch.jpg
The flip side is the money the state stands to make in the form of the entertainment tax. I do not have the exact figure for the same, but that is the rationale forwarded by the government. Then again I am only assuming when I say that the govt has forwarded a rationale at all, considering the recent statements made by the Dy.CM of the state, that the govt will take all necessary actions to see that the water shortage does not impact the IPL games. The Dy CM chose not to elaborate on the actions which the govt plans to take, however in my opinion this vague statement is enough to underline the callous attitude of the govt towards the drought hit population.
The concerns and controversies raised in the recent past, with water being supplied/diverted to the mineral water and soda companies, ignoring the needs of the farmers and not to mention the ire which Asaram Bapu invited after his large scale water-tanker holi celebrations, the govt seems to have taken its apathy up a notch by allowing the games to go on. Do you smell a govt-water tanker owners nexus? Frankly speaking I dont even wish to go there.
All I can understand is that a tough summer lies ahead of us. Whoever has money will be getting tanker-full of water, but then there is a limit to that too as well right? Not that the tanker owners 'create' water! In March itself my building in Pune, needed a tanker every two days, the borewells have run dry and summer has not even begun.
Seems at the end of the day, the households have more to worry about than what happens in this year's IPL. Maybe that is exactly what the govt is playing on!
P.S: The opposition did suggest that each franchise come forward and make a substantial monetary contribution towards the efforts of helping the drought hit areas. Lets see how much that is heeded.