New Delhi/Cuttack: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued show-cause notices to six cricket stadiums, including Barabati Stadium in Odisha’s Cuttack city, directing them to explain why sporting activities at their venues should not be suspended for alleged non-compliance with directions on sustainable water use and failure to disclose details of groundwater extraction.
Besides Barabati, Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, Dr DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur, and Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow are in the dock. This followed complaints that these venues have been using groundwater for pitch and ground maintenance without obtaining mandatory no-objection certificates (NOCs) from the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) or adopting eco-friendly alternatives such as rainwater harvesting and treated wastewater from sewage treatment plants (STPs).
An NGT bench headed by Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava, along with expert members A Senthil Vel and Afroz Ahmad, passed the order on April 16 while hearing a long-pending case on water conservation in sports infrastructure. The tribunal noted that seven stadiums had initially failed to submit replies despite repeated directions and emails from the CGWA. Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium sought time to comply, but the remaining six neither appeared nor filed responses.
The bench observed that the applicant’s counsel had urged a complete halt to activities at these venues. It accordingly issued notices asking the stadium authorities to show cause why “all their activities should not be stopped on the ground of non-compliance of the Tribunal’s order and not submitting the requisite information.”
The CGWA has been directed to convey the order to the concerned parties. Stadium authorities have also been asked to furnish details of water extraction and usage patterns to the CGWA, which is compiling data on groundwater use at cricketing venues nationwide.
The matter is listed for the next hearing on July 2.
Sanjay Behera, secretary of the Odisha Cricket Association (OCA), which manages Barabati Stadium, said that the association would seek additional time to file its response. “We will ask for more time and respond,” he told TOI. Behera added that the OCA remains committed to regulatory compliance while upholding the quality and safety standards of the premier venue.
The case originates from a 2021 plea highlighting the use of groundwater or freshwater for non-essential purposes like maintaining cricket pitches instead of prioritising STP-treated water and installing effective rainwater harvesting systems. The tribunal has repeatedly emphasised shifting to sustainable practices to reduce stress on depleting groundwater resources, especially during peak summer months when many cities face acute water scarcity amid rising temperatures.
