Final is driftingggg

New Delhi: Surprising reports emerged on Tuesday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was planning to shift the second qualifier and the Indian Premier League (IPL) final out of the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.The matches, scheduled to take place on May 25 and 27 respectively, are reportedly under threat owing to the fact that three of the stands at the iconic stadium are sealed, and the broadcaster, SET Max, considers it an eyesore in a league that otherwise has seen full houses at almost every venue.The G, H and I stands have a combined capacity of 12,000 spectators, and the loss in revenue is estimated to be in the range of 2 crore per match.However, sources told Mail Today that the move is just a way to arm-twist the authorities into unsealing the stands. The trouble began after last year's IPL when the Chennai Corporation sealed all the blocks on the western side of the stadium on Bells Road, adjacent to the 160-year-old Madras Cricket Club.Since then, the stands have remained deserted for matches in the Champions League Twenty20 and the India-West Indies One-Day International last December, as well as through the IPL.The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) started paying 60 per annum from February 1966 for over 18 acres of land in the precinct of the stadium, and now pays a sum of 8 lakh per year to the government as rent.The existing lease was extended in 2001 for expires on April 19, 2015.Government records show that due permission was not obtained by the TNCA for demolishing the stands in the stadium before reconstructing them ahead of last year's World Cup. The TNCA is alleged to have disregarded and violated the norms set by the government, which could even affect the lease of the land itself.Clause 8 of the lease deed says the "grantee shall not use the land except for the purpose of the construction of cricket stadium and shall not erect buildings, fences or structures of a permanent or temporary character on the land without the previous sanction of the collector."But the TNCA had built a club, rooms and a state of the art bar in 2002-03.R Ravichandran, tehsildar of Mylapore-Triplicane, under which territory the stadium is situated had, in his letter dated September 16, 2009, to the TNCA president, raised objections for the association having violated the terms and conditions of the lease grant.Ravichandran has also stated that "Under RSO No: 24-A, you have to follow the terms and conditions of the lease grant and you have violated the conditions in Clause 15 and 16 of the lease deed.""Now you are reconstructing the structure of the stadium without getting proper permission even though prior warnings issued through Revenue Inspector. The construction activity in the cognizant pavilion of eastern side gate may kindly be stopped," the tehsildar has said in his letter.Under these circumstances, the fact that the TNCA has approached the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority for permission to use the stands makes things more interesting, especially with question marks over whether the government agency is empowered to provide this.Secondly, under the regime of chief minister J Jayalalithaa, action has been taken against 'land grabbers', and in this climate, it seems virtually impossible that the required permission will be granted, even if the reason given for the request is the public's interest.Three sealed stands at the MA Chidambaram Stadium have become a bone of contention between TN govt and TNCA.