Calcutta, Dec. 17: A day before a bandh call for the cricketer, there’s a bandh call for a cradle of cricket.

If the Maidan Sports Welfare Association, a little-known sports body, has proposed a state-wide bandh on December 20 to protest Sourav Ganguly’s exclusion, December 19 will witness a bandh in the Deshapriya Park pocket of south Calcutta to protest the patch of green being given up for a khadi mela.

“The 12-hour bandh on Monday will be limited to ward 85 ? in and around the park ? and there will be no disruption of traffic on the main thoroughfares. There would also be a protest rally with young sportspersons, morning walkers and residents on Sunday,” said local councillor Debasish Kumar, adding that it would be an “apolitical bandh”.

The bandh call coincides with the hearing of a public interest litigation ? filed by local residents ? in Calcutta High Court on Monday.

The Calcutta Municipal Corporation has given permission for a khadi expo to be held from December 18 to January 14 at the park.

“It is a national fair and will require space for around 200 stalls? We can’t find any other space for a fair of such magnitude,” reasoned Braja Mukherjee, chairman of the State Khadi and Village Industries Board. “But we will, of course, go by the court ruling.”

The protests have picked up pace with the PIL being filed on Thursday and former mayor Subrata Mukherjee lending his lungs to the campaign to save the park and the game.

“Shob shesh hoye jabe (Everything will be finished),” lamented 70-year-old Shibabrata Sarkar or Shibuda, who has been preparing the park pitch for the past 35 years. The fair would completely destroy the main and practice pitches, he added.

The fair would disrupt CAB league matches, cricket coaching schedules and other sporting activities at the park for four weeks.