Nod to nets at Rohit's school, but just for a year

MUMBAI: State housing agency Mhada on Friday awarded a no-objection certificate (NOC) to Swami Vivekanand International School, Gorai, the alma mater of cricketer Rohit Sharma, to rebuild the sports turf and nylon nets which it had demolished over Wednesday-Thursday. Mhada had razed the football and cricket nets after determining that the area was being put to "commercial use."
As per Friday's NOC, the trust may erect a turf spanning 32m x 16m x 8m. For this, the school will pay Mhada a year's rental fee of Rs 2.8 lakh and a security deposit of similar amount, effectively paying a total sum of Rs 5.7 lakh towards the use of the ground. The school trust will not be allowed to put the turf and nets to commercial use, or sublet the plot, or create any ownership or third party rights. The NOC issued on March 7, 2025 is valid for one year, till March 6, 2026.
Chief officer, Mumbai Board, Milind Borikar, said, "The trustee assured us they will not put the turf to commercial use. Based on this, we have granted permission to the school to erect the nets, which they will do within two weeks. They can utilise the ground only for their students' sporting activity and must not engage it for commercial use. The NOC is typically valid for one year."