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BCCI estimates 1 million loss

Total damage estimated to BCCI property in course of the recent attack on its office at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai has been estimated at Rs 1 million.

The estimate was prepared by senior officials of the Oriental Insurance company.

It will be recalled that vandals had stormed the BCCI office on the afternoon of Monday January 18, destroying office furniture and trophies besides roughing up BCCI executive secretary Sharad Diwadkar.

The attack was supposedly in protest against the clearance given by the Federal government to the Pakistan cricket team's tour to India after a gap of 11 years.

Unofficial estimates, however, put the losses at closer to Rs 1.5 million. The figure, it needs mentioning, does not include restoration charges of the damaged trophies, which remain to be assessed.

"None of the trophies are missing, the amount it will cost us to restore the damaged ones remains to be worked out," said Diwadkar.

The BCCI meanwhile issued orders to Diwadkar to proceed to Calcutta and take charge of its new office there.

It would appear that the changed stance of the Shiv Sena, and the subsequent appeal by Mumbai Chief Minister Manohar Joshi to shift the BCCI office back to the Brabourne Stadium, have had no effect on the board's top brass. Interestingly, Joshi himself ranks as a vice president of the BCCI.

Board president Raj Singh Dungarpur said it was the unanimous decision of the executive committee to maintain its office in Calcutta, and that he cannot reverse it even if he wanted to.

Following the vandalism, the BCCI was allotted premises in the Cricket Association of Bengal's buildings within the Eden Gardens premises.

The refusal to shift the office back to Mumbai would appear to be the board's way of expressing its displeasure at Joshi for not taking the attack seriously.

Confirming the transfer, Diwadkar said he has been asked to finish the formalities with the police regarding last Monday's ransacking of the BCCI office before proceeding to Calcutta. "I will complete that job in a day or two," Diwadkar added.

For now, Diwadkar alone will proceed to Calcutta, as no other BCCI employee has been given the transfer notice as yet. However, the half-dozen strong permanent staff is expected to proceed to Calcutta shortly to take up their duties at the new premises.

Until that happens, Diwadkar will be assisted by CAB staff on a temporary basis.