Resentment continues to brew at the Delhi and District Cricket Association with former India captain Bishan Singh Bedi on Thursday seeking punishment for the culprits behind Sunday's pitch fiasco and demanding clipping of the wing of DDCA's "monstrous" Sports Committee.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Bedi said he and other ex-players would meet DDCA President Arun Jaitley on Saturday to convince him to form a Cricket Improvement Committee (CIC) for efficient and transparent running of the association.
"I don't think Jaitley should be held responsible for the whole incident. I have talked to him and he was eager to form a CIC, comprising the former cricketers, for the DDCA.
That is a good thing," Bedi said.
"We will meet him on January 2 to discuss the subject. We will place our opinion before him. If the CIC is vested with active power to take decision, I think the former players will be able to use their experience for the good of cricket," Bedi said.
The spin legend was aghast at the pitch fiasco which saw the fifth and final India-Sri Lanka ODI being abandoned after 23.3 overs because of a pitch that was deemed dangerous.
"I strongly feel that the person responsible must be brought to the book, otherwise this thing may happen again," Bedi said.
The 63-year-old former left-arm spinner lashed out at the DDCA Sports Committee, which he said "symbolised all that plagues DDCA".
"I must say the Sports Committee that was formed way back in 1994, is such a superfluous body. It was supposed to look after the local leagues only, and not to take decisions on important matters," Bedi said.
"I don't want to name anyone. There are some elements in the board who are calling the shots and harming the game only. That situation should change," he added.
In a separate letter to Jaitley, Bedi accused the Sports Committee of indulging in corruption and nepotism.
Bedi also wants the support of the star Delhi players to improve the working standard of the DDCA.
"Besides the formers, current players like (Virender) Sehwag and (Gautam) Gambhir should also come forward and do something because they are the inspiration for Friday's stars," he said.
Even though he demanded punishment for culprits of the pitch fiasco, Bedi said the last thing he would want was a ban on Ferozeshah Kotla.
"A ban would only harm cricket in the state and the country before 2011 World Cup. The fiasco was just waiting to happen in Kotla. Now we should look forward to improve the situation," he said.
Former India cricketer Kirti Azad, at whose residence the press conference took place, also pitched in for a CIC, pointing out other state associations already had it.
"There are CICs in Kolkata (under Sourav Ganguly), Mumbai (under Sunil Gavaskar) and Bangalore (under GR Viswanath). Why cannot we have one in DDCA?" Azad said.
"The DDCA did not have even the required government permissions to host an international match and there were irregularities in spending of the public funds as well. This should change," said Azad.
"We have planned to hold a procession from the India Gate to the stadium on January 10 demanding a change in DDCA's work culture," Azad added.
