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Buddhadeb intervention raises hope for Eden getting back match

By Pti

Kolkata, Jan 30 (PTI) West Bengal government is hopingthat the India-England World Cup match on February 27 canstill be held at the Eden Gardens here after Chief MinisterBuddhadeb Bhattacharjee''s intervention.

Bhattacharjee yesterday asked two of his ministers to getin touch with former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly andput in all possible efforts to bring the match back to thecity.

Sources said Bhattacharjee spoke to ICC President SharadPawar yesterday requesting him to bring back the match to EdenGardens.

"Yes, I intervened," was the brief reply of the chiefminister today to a question if he had intervened to bringback the February 27 match shifted out of the city due tounpreparedness of the venue.

Bhattacharjee was talking to mediapersons after releasingtwo books on Rabindra Nath Tagore and Acharya Prafulla ChandraRoy at the CPI(M) headquarters in the presence of party statesecretary Biman Bose.

Sources said Pawar is understood to have assuredBhattacharjee to allow Cricket Association of Bengal tocomplete work at the Eden Gardens by February 7.

Bhattacharjee, however, did not elaborate on this.

Sports Minister Kanti Ganguly said, "A little ray of hopeis found at the end of tunnel" as the chief minister''sintervention had found a "positive response".

"Now it is a challenge for CAB to fully prepare theinfrastructure at the Eden Gardens. The state government isready to extend all cooperation to CAB," he said.

CAB authorities also expressed hope about getting backthe match, saying that the venue would be ready by February 7,20 days ahead of the scheduled match.

CAB President Jagmohan Dalmiya met Union Finance MinisterPranab Mukherjee at the latter''s residence here last night todiscuss the matter.

The move by Dalmiya appears to be an effort by theseasoned cricket administrator to get some help from Mukherjeewho can take up the matter with his cabinet colleague.

Story first published: Sunday, January 30, 2011, 15:00 [IST]
Other articles published on Jan 30, 2011