CAB forms 7-member panel to investigate Eden light fiasco

Kolkata: Embarrased over the power failure in one of the floodlit towers at the Eden Gardens during the fourth ODI between Indian and Sri Lanka, the Cricket Association of Bengal has consituted a seven-member panel to inquire into the incident.

The seven-member committee which includes Kolkata police commissioner Gautam Mohan Chakrabarti, deputy commisioner of Detective Department Javed Shamim, former CAB joint secretary Chitrak Mitra, Sadhan Mukherjee, Dilip Sen, S Biswas and P K Mullick will look into the black-out incident which plunged the stadium into near darkness after floodlits at the High Court end went off for nearly 26 minutes yesterday with just four balls remanining in the Sri Lankan innings.

With such malfunctioning becoming a common feature at the Eden Gardens in the last couple of years, CAB President Jagmohan Dalmiya said they will go deep into the matter.

"It is a worry. We have not been able to identify the problem but we will go deep into it. Since 1993, the ODI matches are being held under lights but in the last couple of years only we have been hit by technical snags," Dalmiya told reporters after the match last night.

"Our requirement is 6.1 KW whereas we are getting 6.02KW," he said.

Asked whether he feels it was a sabotage, the CAB President said, "It is not possible to comment on this issue before getting a detailed report. We will comeback on the issue very soon."

In fact, a blame-game has already started similar to what happened after the light fiasco during the first edition of the Indian Premier League last year with the CAB claiming there had been a voltage fluctuation.

The incident got such highlight that it even forced Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee to rush to the ground after after hearing about the black-out episode. But by the time the minister reached the stadium, the lights have started to work.

"I came on hearing this. We have to find out what has happened. It's a blemish on the state government that it could not avert such a situation despite the 2008 episode," Banerjee said taking a dig at the left government ruling the state.

The Calcutta Electricty Supply Corporation Ltd has, however, washed off its hands from the incident, blaming the CAB for lack of maintainence as the reason behind the fiasco.

"The blackout is not because of CESC's fault. Supply was regular all through and had there been a fluctuation, other towers would have been affected. We have laid out three new dedicated cables from its distribution station near Princep Ghat and each line is capable of lighting up the entire stadium," a CESC official said.

Incidentally, the power went out for nearly 25 minutes at Eden Gardens on April 20 last year during the IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Deccan Chargers. What followed then was a blame game between the CAB and the CESC.