CAB launches Stay Safe Initiative through auto renewal of membership

The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) under its Stay Safe Initiative has decided to auto-renew the annual, associate and life membership of members for the 2020-21 season keeping in mind the extraordinary circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The meeting of the membership committee was held on Monday evening via video conferencing and it took place on Zoom platform. The meeting was chaired by the Chairman of the Membership Committee, Rupnath Roy Chowdhury. 

It was also attended by the committee members 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 via zoom app from a private hospital where he is undergoing treatment.  Former Bengal cricketer Snehasish had tested positive for COVID-19 last week.

Amid the pandemic, the membership committee unanimously 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," said Avishek.