A new era of transparency begins as UPCA adopts new constitution
LUCKNOW: As expected, the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) on Thursday took just 15 minutes to adopt the new constitution of the BCCI, which is based on the Lodha Committee’s recommendations and has been duly approved by the Supreme Court.
UPCA did not discuss the new constitution and adopted it verbatim, beginning a new chapter of transparency in state cricket where the demand of such process has been an issue since long.
Now, the UPCA will have to upload all the information regarding its activities, finances etc., on its website on regular basis every third month, and the cricket board as well as the common man, including a fan will have access to all documents.
“We have adopted the new constitution as suggested by the BCCI, and there would be no compromise with the guidelines,” UPCA’s secretary Yudhveer Singh said after cricket body’s extra-ordinary general meeting in Kanpur on Thursday.
Interestingly, all the veterans and former office-bearers, who have already been removed from the cricket body as per the guidelines of the new constitution, were at the meeting to decide on the adoption of the new constitution, but only as the directors of the company which governs UPCA.
“We are not at all an officebearer and do not hold any constitutional position in the cricket body as most of us either have crossed the prescribed age limit of 70 or have already completed our tenure as office-bearer. Since we are directors of the company, which runs the cricket body, we had to be there,” one of the UPCA directors Suhaib Ahmed said.
All the former and present office-bearers and even the directors, including UPCA’s president Yadupati Singhania and secretary Yudhveer Singh, have already been listed as life members of UPCA in its letter to BCCI on August 8 this year. UPCA has 38 district units.
PLAYERS’ ASSOCIATION
Other than many major changes in its set up, UPCA will have the Cricket Players’ Association too, as this is mandatory in the new constitution.
According to Lodha Committee, the idea of a players association is to give them ‘a voice to raise their concerns’ while barring them from forming a ‘trade union of any sort’.
It had also recommended there was the need to advance the welfare of players, including insurance, medical and other commercial benefits.
Those players, who have played more than 10 first class games, are expected to be the part of players association.
An online form will be uploaded on UPCA’s website (upca.tv) and former players will have to submit their details online to get enrolled. Those who register will also be eligible to vote.
As per the Lodha Committee recommendations, a member of the players association will be part of UPCA’s apex council, which will take all the important decisions of UP cricket in future. “All the eligible cricketers should join the players association as this would be good for players as well as for cricket,” Suhaib Ahmed added.