Mumbai: BCCI and cricket association ready for IPL in Maharashtra and Mumbai.But the Bombay High Court said to shift the Indian Premiere Matches to somewhere else where there is no water crises as the state is going through the water wastage when the state is reeling under severe drought.

"Only if water supply to BCCI is cut, you will understand," the court observed. The court also told the state that ultimately it is the government’s responsibility and duty to do something about this (water wastage) and impose some kind of restraint.

"How can you (cricket associations and BCCI) waste water like this. People are more important or your IPL matches? How can you be so careless? Who wastes water like this? This is criminal wastage. You know what the condition is in Maharashtra," a division bench headed by Justices V M Kanade and M S Karnik said, while hearing a PIL filed by NGO Loksatta Movement.

The court observed “"Ideally, you should shift the IPL matches to some other state where water is in abundance," the court observed.”

The PIL has challenged the use of nearly 60 lakh litres of water to maintain pitches at three stadiums in the state which will hold IPL matches.

The High Court said it will consider the interim relief sought by the petitioner, during the hearing tomorrow.