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A day before the India vs South Africa third T20I at the Holkar Stadium in Indore, the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) reportedly raided Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) headquarters in Indore. The timing for the Municipal Corporation's raid is being questioned as the state board has time till 2023 to pay their dues. It has also been alleged that the Municipal Corporation tried to put pressure on the organisers to provide "more" free passes for the officials.
However, the civic has dismissed all such reports. A report carried out by Dainik Bhaskar's Indore desk has claimed that the IMC had demanded tax dues plus the entertainment tax of the recently conducted Road Safety World Series matches. But the MPCA officials have said that the tax liability of that series lies with the organisers of that event. It is being learnt that the MPCA decided to pay IND 32 lakh to ensure that the matter is settled and the match goes on without any hindrance.
"I'm aghast at the timing of the raid. I am told all this was done to get passes for a junior IAS officer posted in the Indore Municipal Corporation. We decided to settle their tax demand ahead of the due date because we did not want anything to come in the way of organizing the match. The reputation of the state and country is at stake whenever there is an international match," said MPCA President Abhilash Khandekar as per an India Today report.
The MPCA President has also claimed that 25 free passes were already given to the municipal commissioner Pratibha Pal which has been the general norm whenever a match is held at this venue.
"How many passes can we keep doling out?," Khandekar was quoted demanding an end to the "freebie" culture.
