Dibrugarh: The Dibrugarh District Sports Association (DDSA) on Thursday said the outdoor stadium will, henceforth, not be used for any activity other than sports.
DDSA honorary secretary Manindra Nath Saikia told reporters here: "This year, Nabarupa Sangha wanted to organise its golden jubilee Rongali Bihu celebrations at the outdoor stadium but we clearly told it that we will not be able to grant permission because of restrictions from the BCCI and Assam Cricket Association (ACA)."
However, after the association denied Bihu Udjapan Samity's request, a controversy sparked that the DDSA was not allowing Bihu Sanmilan event on its ground.
The association said it could not permit other activities on the ground because the users might harm it. The stadium is meant for sports and the DDSA's role is to keep the stadium away from other activities, it said.
DDSA president Jamshed Ahmed Khan said, "We are not against Bihu Sanmilan but cannot allow the ground for other activities. We have to maintain certain norms laid down by the BCCI and ACA because BCCI tournaments are held in the stadium. If the pitch curator finds any loophole, the ground will be penalised immediately."
The outdoor stadium has successfully hosted seven Ranji trophy matches over the years but it has been plagued by poor facilities and infrastructure, leading to non-allotment of matches.
The last Ranji trophy cricket tie played here was on December 17, 2006, between Assam and Madhya Pradesh.
Currently, only matches of junior level national cricket tournaments like Cooch Behar trophy (under-19), Vijay Merchant trophy (under-16) and C.K. Nayudu trophy (under-23) are held at the stadium.
"The Dibrugarh Sporting Association came into being in 1951 and in 1959 it was renamed the Dibrugarh District Sports Association. In 1978, the first Ranji Trophy match was played at this venue. Earlier, the infrastructure was not so good but now the scenario has changed and development has come about," Khan said.
In 2016, under the National Sports Development Funds (NSDF), a grant of Rs 5 crore was sanctioned as the first installment for the renovation of and upgrade of the stadium.
