I don’t want my dead body near Eden Gardens, says chief curator Probir Mukherjee

Mumbai: Probir Mukherjee, the chief curator of the Eden Gardens is a very annoyed man after being blamed for Thursday's washout game between India and South Africa.

"It is not that we had no sufficient overs at the ground but in the history of Eden Garden, the entire ground has never been covered except in one ODI match between India and Pakistan," he said exclusively over telephone from his Kolkata home.

"There has been no rule to cover the entire ground. Only the pitch, the bowlers' ends and the close-in fielders' area are covered. I fail to understand why these people are insisting to cover the entire ground where the drainage system is excellent," he added.

Probir Mukherjee will never visit Eden Gardens in future leave aside the working over there. "There is no question of tendering resignation. I was not a contract employee of the CAB (Cricket Association of Bengal) and therefore the question of giving resignation does not arise."

"I had promised to Dalmiya that I would work as long as you are there and since he is no more now, I won't provide my services there," the 86-year-old Mukherjee said.

"Once Dalmiya had asked me why don't you take money from us and I said, if you really want to pay me, pay some appropriate amount but not the peanuts."

Mukherjee was paid Rs. 30,000 per month for his hard and dedicated work.

"The association also didn't recognise my services when the entire ground of Salt Lake stadium was made under my supervision. It has been a very beautiful ground. Will never watch any match even as a spectator at this ground."

I don’t want my dead body near Eden Gardens, said the chief curator of the ground as he signed off.