Bollywood actress Dia Mirza has lashed out at BCCI for staging the first T20I match between India and Bangladesh in Delhi despite the air quality turning hazardous post-Diwali.
“It is baffling that the BCCI has decided to go ahead with the T20 match despite the AQI’s severe 412! This complete denial of the hazards of exposing ourselves to pollution is what cripples our ability to seek and implement swift solutions,” tweeted the 37-year-old Bollywood star.
However, as per the Air Quality Index (AQI) standards, readings above 400 is severe and is considered seriously harmful for health.
The newly-elected BCCI President Sourav Ganguly has confirmed on Thursday that the India-Bangladesh T20I in Delhi will go ahead as planned on November 3.
It is to note that post-Diwali, the air quality in Delhi has continued to deteriorate and has slipped into the “severe” category in various parts of the National Captial Region (NCR).
This has led to many asking the board to shift the match to a different city. Two environmentalists, namely, Jyoti Pande and Ravina Raj Kohli had written an application to Ganguly asking him to move the match outside Delhi.
They stated that playing a physically demanding sport for 3-4 hours in Delhi’s toxic air could do damage to the players’ health in the long run. The spectators, they said, would also be at risk in the prevailing situation.
After the first T20I, India and Bangladesh will travel to Rajkot for the second match on November 7. The last and final T20I of the series will be played in Nagpur on 10th November.