Special Correspondent
Even as the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) remains entangled in multiple legal battles and under the watch of a court-appointed administrator, a section of its truncated apex council appears unwilling to learn from past controversies. According to insiders, HCA Joint Secretary Basavaraju is reportedly pushing for a grandiose multi-level parking facility at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Uppal — a project estimated to cost no less than ₹15–20 crore.
The timing and rationale behind this proposal have sparked sharp criticism. For one, no major cricket stadium in the country — be it Mumbai’s Wankhede, Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy, Chennai’s M.A. Chidambaram, or Kolkata’s Eden Gardens — has invested in such expensive on-site parking structures. Standard practice in most venues is to keep the immediate stadium premises vehicle-free, with parking provided at designated grounds outside. Associations either ferry officials by air-conditioned buses or arrange designated vehicles to ensure smooth entry.
“Given these facts, the very idea of a multi-layered parking complex at Uppal raises serious questions about necessity and intent,” remarked a senior HCA insider.
What makes the matter more contentious is the association’s fragile legal standing. Three former HCA office-bearers are currently out on bail after being jailed on alleged corruption charges, while several cases concerning financial irregularities are still pending in the Telangana High Court and Supreme Court. Against this backdrop, officials and observers alike are questioning the wisdom of initiating a high-cost construction project.
Adding to the controversy is the uncertainty over the stadium’s land lease. The ground was leased by the Telangana government to the HCA for 25 years, a term that is nearing its end. Any assumption that the lease would be automatically renewed, sources point out, is “premature at best and misleading at worst.” Critics allege that rushing through such a project in the absence of clarity on the lease extension could indicate ulterior motives.
According to sources, the Joint Secretary has even had blueprints prepared and was reportedly preparing to float tenders for the project. This, despite the Telangana High Court having previously pulled him up for challenging the court’s appointment of Justice Naveen Rao as a one-man supervisory committee to monitor HCA’s functioning. In strong words, the court is understood to have questioned the Joint Secretary’s authority to challenge its decisions.
Observers believe the matter now calls for fresh judicial intervention. “The truncated apex council cannot take arbitrary decisions on such large-scale projects without approval from the Annual General Meeting (AGM) or Special General Meeting (SGM). The High Court and its appointed committee must step in before irreversible financial commitments are made,” a former HCA official told this reporter.
The functioning of the current council has already raised eyebrows. Only recently, an SGM convened to push through controversial proposals had to be postponed amid internal dissent. This followed the council’s earlier attempt to withdraw its own decision revoking the suspension of 57 clubs, a punishment originally imposed by Supreme Court-appointed Ombudsman L. Nageswara Rao. Justice Rao, in his detailed 59-page report, had documented multiple instances of alleged corruption and mismanagement in the HCA — including those relating to the construction of the Uppal stadium itself.
With so many unresolved cases pending and a supervisory mechanism already in place, critics argue that any move towards fresh mega-projects would not only be financially reckless but also legally untenable. For now, the ball lies squarely in the court of Justice Naveen Rao and the Telangana High Court, which must decide whether HCA’s officials are allowed to carry on with business as usual, or whether stronger directions are needed to check further irregularities.
