Srinagar, Sep 13 (KNS): As the Ranji Trophy season is nearing, Jammu and Kashmir cricketers are likely to miss the national level tournament, the state’s Cricket Association is yet to receive funds from Board of Control for Cricket of India (BCCI).
JKCA Vice Chairman Javaid Kitab told KNS that the BCCI has not released the fund to the association and they have not been able to start training and preparation of cricketers for tournaments which are on the threshold.
“We followed the directions of the State’s High Court and filed the affidavit in the Supreme Court, but BCII did not release the funds to us,” Kitab told KNS.
JKCA is mired in a fund scandal in 2012 and CBI has been sealed its bank accounts and is probing the case whose hearing are going on in the Supreme Court.
The funds to the association were blocked in 2012 and, as per Kitab, BCCI has not released any funds since, though the BCCI’s new body has recognized the association as a genuine body to coach aspiring cricketers of the state.
However, Kitab said that they are not able to coach the cricketers for the Ranji trophy beginning on October 6.
“Fixtures for the tournament have been issued, but we are not able to do anything,” he said.
Meanwhile, BCCI’s Committee of Administrators (CoA) has told the Jammu & Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) to stop painting a "misleading" picture about the BCCI's reasons for withholding funds to the association.
As per espncricinfo.com website, the CoA has said such pressure tactics will not work, and that the JKCA's non-compliance in implementing the Lodha Committee's recommendations was the reason behind the BCCI not releasing the funds.
"The Committee of Administrators has also noted certain media reports to the effect that the JKCA may pull out of BCCI tournaments due to lack of funds wherein you have been quoted as saying that this is due to inaction on the part of the BCCI and/or the Committee of Administrators," the CoA said in its e-mail to Iqbal Ahmad Shah, the JKCA Secretary.
The CoA also said the JKCA would be responsible if cricket were to "suffer" in the state. "Release of funds has been withheld solely to comply with the orders passed by the Hon'ble Supreme Court and, as mentioned above, it is non-compliance by the JKCA which is preventing release of funds. If cricketing operations in Jammu & Kashmir suffer as a result, it is the JKCA and its officials who are responsible for the same.” (KNS)