The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) under its "Stay Safe Initiative" has decided to auto-renew the Annual, Associate and Life Membership for the season 2020-21 season, keeping in mind the current circumstances created by the coronavirus crisis.
The Meeting of the Membership Committee was held on Monday via video conferencing.
The meeting was Chaired by the Chairman of the Membership Committee, Rupnath Roy Chowdhury. It was also attended by the committee members viz. Jogeshwar Samanta, Saket Sudan and Navin Jhawar, as well as legal counsel of the Association, Samrat Sen.
Among the Office Bearers, CAB President Avishek Dalmiya, Vice President Naresh Ojha were present while Secretary, Snehasish Ganguly joined the conference from a hospital where he is undergoing treatment.
Amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis, the Membership Committee of The Cricket Association of Bengal has unmously recommended to its Apex Council for Automatic Renewal of Annual, Associate and Life Membership for the 2020-2021 season.
No fresh ID cards would be issued and the earlier season's ID card would continue to remain valid in such a scenario, if and when the approval from Apex Council is received. The Membership Committee has also recommended to the Apex Council, waiver of Annual Subscription Fees required for Renewal of the Associate and Annual Membership Cards.
"The Cricket Association of Bengal is encouraging all its members to stay safe during the Pandemic. There are essential transactions and providing of documents required at the time of Renewal of Membership Cards for Annual, Associate and Life Members, that may only be completed in person. Taking this into consideration, along with the fact that 'social distancing' is a priority in the current circumstances, and in order to mitigate any hardships faced by the members, the Membership Committee as a one time special measure has decided to recommend such a step to the Apex Council," Dalmiya said in a statement.
On the other hand, Chowdhury said, "There are much bigger responsibilities and issues at hand in this pandemic situation. The CAB has always stood resolutely beside its players, members and everybody associated with the association. The recommendation today to the Apex Council for auto-renewal of membership is just a gesture of our goodwill and an expression of the humane face that the Association always possess. This also shows CAB's commitment towards the health and safety of its members."
( With inputs from ANI )