Stadium land deal cleared in stormy BCA meeting

VADODARA: Members of the Baroda Cricket Association (BCA) approved land deal for the much-awaited stadium project during the annual general meeting (AGM) on Thursday evening.
The general body ratified the land deal and granted permission to BCA office-bearers to purchase, acquire and process land at Kotambi village in Waghodia taluka for purpose of carrying out cricketing and sports activities.However, the management faced severe criticism from senior ex-cricketers and other members for alleged misadministration and neglect towards the game.
The approval for land deal came without any opposition and it came as a big relief for the BCA management as the district collector had stopped non-agriculture (NA) permission for the land. The collector had asked BCA to get approval from AGM after allegations of irregularities in land purchase surfaced. The management also told the members that a part of the land has already been purchased by the association. BCA president Chirayu Amin and vice-president Samarjitsinh Gaekwad attended the meet.
As anticipated, the meeting saw heated arguments as some of the members directly attacked the top management. "Who is looking after cricket development here? The president doesn't have time for BCA, one of the vice-president stays in Mumbai and one of the secretaries works outside the city. What kind of development we are talking about?" questioned ex-India cricketer Anshuman Gaekwad. He also took jibes at the management by introducing himself in front of members.
It was for the first time that senior former players like Gaekwad, Kiran More, Nayan Mongia and Narayan Satham came together to criticize the management for neglecting cricket. BCA secretary Sanjay Patel said that he doesn't take cricketing decisions. However, he was countered by former BCA secretary Snehal Parikh. Parikh said that during his stint that most key cricketing decisions, including appointing of selectors and coaches, are taken by Sanjay Patel, who is a non-cricketer. "And that is the reason why cricket is not improving," Parikh said.