Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has requested the Maharashtra government to provide cut in several of its pending dues. The MCA runs the Wankhede stadium.
MCA has sought the reduction in dues worth ₹200 crore which it owes to Maharashtra government, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and other agencies. The dues left are for at least five years.
As per a report published in Times of India, the Maharashtra government has raised bills of ₹120 crores for non-agricultural tax since 2012.
Mumbai’s civic body has also raised a property tax bill of ₹12 crores for the financial year 2019-20. Moreover, nearly ₹60 crores have been increased in property tax arrears for five years.
The deployment of police personnel for five years is also close to ₹50 lakh per night. Observers said that police security is sought only for international matches and for IPL games.
In a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, the MCA has sought a reduction in its dues. CM Thackeray called a meeting of bureaucrats from the revenue department, BMC and Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) to discuss the same.
In the meeting, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar was also present. Pawar is the former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chairperson.
As per sources, the representatives from the MCA said that they have been charged non-agricultural tax at commercial rate despite the stadium being a sports area.
MCA claimed that the BMC had charged them “incorrectly” for open areas and FSI which has not been consumed since it is in the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ).
Also Read - Mumbai Air Pollution: AQI Breaches 500 Mark At Bandra
The MCA has also stated that the stadium can’t be charged with police security as it is a part of law and order machinery. The association also highlighted that they have issued related to income tax with MMRDA.
The Chief Minister has asked the agencies to look into the issue and revert as soon as possible.