Mumbai Hockey Association, one of the oldest provincial hockey administering body of the country, which is also active and contributing to the development of the game in a big way, encountered a big problem recently.
Its office and ground are located on a prime land leased out by the Mumbai Government. Its 60-year lease expired in 2003. Since then the BHA has been making every effort to get the lease extended. However, very recently the BHA has been served with a eviction notice from the concerned authority. Which meant the BHA office has to seek alternative location and the only hockey ground with both floodlight facility and its own synthetic turf will be rendered useless.
It was gathered that the State Government in the place of BHA wanted to construct its own sporting infrastructure which can cater to many other sports not just hockey.
The opinion of many in this respect is that as the city is dynamic and development activities take place everywhere, the State need not disuse the existing facilities to create a new one. The State has enormous resources in terms of land and finance and it would be appropriate the State keep off its plan from the BHA grounds and let the BHA continue to do its promotion and developmental activities.
Former players of every hue, not just from hockey but also from every other discipline, have been voicing their angst against the government slapping an eviction notice as prestigious as organization as BHA.
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