Surat: The craze for box cricket has been on the rise across the major cities of Gujarat, particularly in Ahmedabad and Surat, which generally lack recreational facilities for the public to unwind. However, with this growing craze, several illegal box cricket facilities have also emerged, with many operating without the necessary approvals from the civic body regarding fire safety and customer safety.

August Crackdown: Multiple Box Cricket Facilities Sealed

In the recent crackdown on August 1st, in the East (Varachha) Zone‑A of Surat Municipal Corporation, sealing action was carried out on two properties: the KBC Cricket Box located in Block No. 102 and the Madhuli Cricket Box in Block No. 187, both falling under Draft T.P. Scheme No. 60 (Puna).

These temporary “cricket box” structures had been constructed without prior approval from the Surat Municipal Corporation. The sealing was executed by a team comprising one Deputy Engineer, one Assistant Engineer, three Technical Assistants/Supervisors from the Urban Development Department, and ten labourers from the Encroachment Department.

Furthermore, the civic body stated that a team from the West (Randher) Zone sealed six such facilities between July 25th and August 1st:

• Box cricket at Final Plot No. 84, T.P. Scheme No. 15 (Pal), next to Shubham Sky
• The Park Arena Golf Course Range and Academy, part of Final Plot No. 08, T.P. Scheme No. 16 (Pal)
• Creek Zone Box Cricket, Final Plot No. 129, T.P. Scheme No. 08 (Palanpor)
• D.M. Arena Sports Ground, Final Plot No. 169/B, T.P. Scheme No. 50 (Bhatha‑Bhat)
• Corners and Turf Cricket Box, Bhatha, near Vishala Restaurant
• L.P. Savani Sports Complex Cricket Box, Bhatha, near D Villa Restaurant

The large‑scale action was prompted by a serious safety incident on July 1st, when the shed at The Dot Ball Box cricket setup on Ramkatha Road in Katargam zone collapsed, injuring one person. This incident triggered urgent action, as many of these facilities had previously ignored notices and continued to operate illegally, putting public safety at risk.

Following that incident, the crackdown began on the same day, when the civic body sealed seven setups—including The Dot Box, Maruti Cricket, The Knock Out, Friend Box, Century Turf, GG Box, and Sixer Zone Box.

Then, on July 23rd, three more facilities were sealed, including Ubuntu Cricket Academy (Adajan), DISSOTO Turf Box (Rander), and R.I.G. Cricket Box.

Ahmedabad Drafts Gujarat’s First Policy to Regulate Box Cricket

In parallel, the Amdavad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has drafted Gujarat’s first official policy to regulate box cricket, pickleball, and similar net‑covered sports setups. The draft policy, which is open for public suggestions, allows only temporary net‑covered facilities up to 12 meters high on plots larger than 500 sq. meters, with at least 50% of the area reserved for parking. Key requirements include NOCs from police, fire, and airport authorities (if relevant), a licensed structural engineer, 3‑meter‑high safety nets, toilets and urinals, CCTV surveillance, clear signage, and at least two entry and exit gates per side.

The proposed licence fee is ₹100 per sq. meter of plot area, doubling to ₹200 if applications aren’t submitted within 30 days of policy approval, and will increase by 5% every three years. Only non‑agricultural land will be eligible, and violations will face penalties. Prompted by safety concerns after the Surat roof collapse, the AMC policy aims to bring uniformity, transparency, and stronger safety standards to this rapidly growing urban sports trend.

While the AMC draft policy is in progress, no such policy has yet been announced by the Surat civic body. However, action against illegal facilities has continued throughout the month. DeshGujarat