‘ BCCI lost ` 50cr on land deal’

New Delhi, Aug. 8: Members of the National Cricket Academy sub- committee were in for a rude shock when it was intimated that the BCCI has lost a whopping ` 50 crore on a dubious land deal and it is now mulling on initiating criminal proceedings against those involved in the mess.

Such was the situation after the news was made official that the sub- committee couldn't discuss about filling up of vacant positions of support staff which were up for grabs.

The members of the NCA panel were on Thursday apprised that one Gurudutt Shanbagh, who is neither an employee of the BCCI nor associated with any state association, signed documents on behalf of the Board with the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board for procuring 49 acres of land at a place called Kurki near the airport.

Apparently, the BCCI made a payment of ` 46.135 crore for this deal, which happened in 2010.

Earlier in 2008, BCCI had paid ` 3.841 crore to Karnataka government for 32 acres of land at a place called Bidadi for building NCA facilities but the deal was called off as it was far away from the international airport and logistical difficulties were taken into account.

Now after having paid nearly ` 50 crore (` 49,97,60,000), BCCI bosses were surprised as to the number of PILs that were filed in the Karnataka High Court. On June 20, the High Court gave its verdict terming the land deal illegal. This is when BCCI top brass realised that they have been taken for a ride by a tout. Shanbhag, since then, has been untraceable and the role played by former manager ( administration ) A. K. Jha came under the scanner.

It has been learnt that BCCI game development manager Ratnakar Shetty got a recorded statement from Jha where he has admitted that “Shanbagh had coordinated voluntarily on behalf of BCCI” but couldn’t give any convincing answer as to what has been the former’s ( Shanbagh’s) locus standi.