RCA, sports body feud ahead of ODI

JAIPUR: The February 21 India-South Africa ODI seems to have hit a rough patch thanks to the sudden feuding between Rajasthan State Sports Council
(RSSC) and Rajasthan Cricket Academy.
The bitterness which followed Shiv Charan Mali’s withdrawal from the RCA presidential polls to pave the way for Union Cabinet minister C P Joshi has spilt into the open with RSSC — which Mali now heads — locking horns with RCA. Mali was offered the RSSC post as a consolation for having to pull out of the RCA race.
On Monday, workers hired by RCA who had started barricading the stands were reportedly stopped by RSSC. The bone of contention is the “formal permission” for the India-South Africa match which will be the first international tie in Jaipur after a gap of two years.
RSSC maintains that the MoU between the government and RCA has the provision that permission has to be sought by them before holding any match or function. “We have the right to know what is going on on our premises. Nobody can enter into somebody else’s house without permission. You have to seek permission from the council and a few other departments as well,” said an RSSC official who was trying to stop the RCA workers.
RSSC president Shiv Charan Mali, however, denied any such thing. “No, we have not stopped anybody. The work by RCA is in progress. We are watching and waiting,” he said. But he made it clear that RCA has flouted the prescribed norms. “Work has been going on in the North and South pavilion without our permission. We would appreciate if the RCA followed the norms and sought permission before embarking on any work. We do not want to take any action in haste but would appreciate if RCA follows the norms.”
RCA, however, maintained that there has never been any instance of RCA “seeking permission” from the council.
Avoiding any war of words, RCA secretary Sanjay Dixit said, “The MoU was between the government and RCA. We would approach the government and ask it to remove the hurdles,” he said.