JSCA issues deadline to Tata Steel on stadium availability

Jamshedpur, Sep 24 (UNI) Amid looming uncertainty over the proposed India England one day encounter on November 23 here during the forthcoming tour of English team due to the alleged unavailability of Tata Steel owned Keenan Stadium, hosts JSCA today said they were giving a deadline to the steel major to clarify their stand till tomorrow afternoon.

Addressing a press conference after attending a high level meeting of the Jharkhand State Cricket Association(JSCA), its president Amitabh Chaudhary said the association had been shocked into disbelief that Keenan Stadium, whose entire character and existence revolved around cricket would be denied for a prestigious one day international.

''A notice was given when we first wrote to the sports department of Tata Steel on this subject, followed by several reminders. No response has yet been received. Even the letter of the deputy commissioner has not been replied yet. People of Jharkhand would probably be denied of the historic opportunity of witnessing one of its proudest sons Mahendra Singh Dhoni leading the national side on home ground,'' he added.

Mr Chaudhary said the JSCA had bought time from the BCCI till tomorrow to file an official reply, in this regard, adding the deadline had now been passed on to the Tata Steel.

''If the company says that the galleries were damaged, what are they doing to repair them? Even during the last one day international organised here in April 2006, the ground was made available very late,'' he rued.

Meanwhile, the Tata Steel categorically said the request of hosts JSCA for making the Keenan Stadium available for the game was still under active consideration in terms of the spectators' safety.

Chief corporate communications of the company Sanjay Chaudhary told UNI that the firms priority was the safety of the spectators.

''The safety of spectators during the high profile match is directly related to the image of Jharkhand and Tata Steel. We will take all kind of precautions, in this regard,'' the spokesperson informed.

Rubbishing the allegations levelled by the JSCA, he said, ''We do not require the certification of any agency for our commitment to the sports of cricket, which is evident during the past decades.'' UNI RAJ SB RL BD2155