Assam Cricket Association (ACA) has expressed deep shock to find a concrete helipad inside a playground in Dhubri which damaged three cricket pitches.
With this Zhagrapara Stadium in Dhubri, which is exclusively owned by Dhubri District Sports Association, is in unplayable condition.
“We are shocked to find concrete helipad and paver blocks right on top of three cricket pitches at the centre of the ground by the Dhubri district administration. As a part of our mission to develop grounds into proper cricketing fields across the state, a team of ACA went to Dhubri but the pathetic condition of the field is shocking,” ACA secretary Devajit Saikia told The News Mill.
The ACA team, including Javed Zaman, a local who went on to represent India A and other teams at the senior level, visited the ground on October 30.
Apart from that, a pebbled road was constructed traversing through the ground to the centre pitch area where the helipad is located, as a result of which the outfield has also been substantially damaged.
Expressing deep anguish Saikia said that it’s an anti-sports act of the district administration that has not only caused major damage to the only cricket ground in Dhubri but also stopped the chances of resumption of cricket activities.
He urged the district administration to remove the helipad, along with the pebbled road, besides restoring the cricket ground to its original condition by repairing the damages so that the cricketing activities can be started as soon as possible.
Saikia also assured the officials of the Dhubri District Sports Association that ACA will take up the matter with chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who himself is on a mission to create maximum sports infrastructure in the state.
No reaction of the Dhubri district administration was available at the time of filing the report.
Fitness camp for players
After a long and unforeseen hiatus sparked off by the COVID-19 pandemic, Assam Cricket Association has decided to commence cricketing activities in the state from November while adhering to the necessary safety protocols.
As part of it, the ACA is going to organise a 12-day fitness camp from November 1 till November 12.
The camp will be held at the ACA Stadium at Barsapara in Guwahati under the supervision of Bhaskar Borah as trainer and Koustob Bharadwaj as physiotherapist.
Altogether, 52 players from across the state have been selected for the the fitness camp.
