Cash-strapped GCA accepts Lodha reforms

Panaji: The Goa

Cricket

Association (

GCA

) has agreed to make changes to its constitution as recommended by the Supreme Court appointed Justice Lodha Committee.

The GCA convened a special general body meeting at its headquarters in Porvorim on Sunday with the members throwing their weight behind the changes. A total of 87 members attended the meeting and 86 of them voted in favour. Only one member – Hemant Angle of Sportsweek Cricket Club – wanted a change in one of the guideline but found no support from any other quarter.

Interestingly, Angle had knocked on the doors of the High Court of Bombay at Goa last week, seeking the appointment of an amicus curiae to inspect and examine the draft amendment of the GCA constitution. The petition was dismissed.

“Goa is the second association after Vidarbha to accept recommendations of the Lodha Committee. We have decided to accept the reforms in totality and will now write to the Committee of Administrators,” GCA president Suraj Lotlikar told TOI after the meeting.

The GCA president said they were handed 14 points to consider while preparing the new constitution and they have no problems whatsoever in incorporating all points in its constitution.

“We’ve done exactly what Vidarbha did,” said Lotlikar.

A senior member of the GCA said they were left with no choice but to fall in line after the Supreme Court appointed Committee of Administrators made it clear that funds would not be released if they did not incorporate the changes.

“It’s fine for big associations to resist changes and even defy Supreme Court guidelines. But for a small association like ours, it’s difficult. We need the funds to run Goan cricket,” said the official.

The GCA also decided to support the government’s initiative of having an international cricket stadium at Dhargal in North Goa. The GCA has acquired 2.92 lakh square metres of land at Maulingem in Bicholim taluka (North Goa) for construction of a cricket stadium but those plans, Lotlikar said, will be put on hold if the government is serious about a stadium in Dhargal, home constituency of sports minister Manohar ‘Babu’ Azgaonkar.