Former Odisha MLA Demands OCA Dissolution Over Barabati Fiasco Amid Minister’s Plea For More Matches

Bhubaneswar: In the wake of floodlight malfunction during India-England ODI at Cuttack’s Barabati Stadium, former MLA Prakash Behera on Tuesday demanded immediate government intervention and dissolution of Odisha Cricket Association (OCA).

However, Sports Minister Suryabanshi Suraj hoped such incident would not be repeated and said he would urge the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to allow international cricket matches at barabati every year.

Addressing a press meet, ex-MLA Behera accused OCA of being involved in corruption and irregularities. He urged the state government to take initiate steps for the dissolution of the board of the OCA.

The present OCA board should be restructured to restore transparency and accountability, Behera said, underlining the need for greater accessibility to cricket events hosted at the stadium. He also sought steps to make available more tickets for the general public.

Stating that the floodlight malfunction during the match on Sunday has damaged the reputation of Odisha, he expressed apprehension about Barabati Stadium getting a chance to host any other match in the future.

The former MLA further alleged that there was massive fraud in online tickets and passes.
The Sports Minister, on the other hand, said he would urge the BCCI to allot international cricket matches to Barabati Stadium every year.

While the Sports Department has issued a show cause notice to the OCA over the floodlight malfunction asking it to submit an explanation within ten days, the Minister termed the incident unfortunate. He also expressed the hopes that such incident would not be repeated in the future and that the stadium would soon host regular international cricket matches.