CWG scandal: OC to hold Board meeting

CWG scandal: OC to hold Board meeting
05.08.2010 04:05:25 5 th Aug 2010 - Nksagar-Sagar Media -New Delhi Commonwealth Games Organisng Committee will hold an emergency meeting of its Executive Board in New Delhi on Thursday amid indications that a clean-up process could be started.
(live-PR.com) - The meeting was called by the OC's embattled chairman Suresh Kalmadi following a demand from some of his own influential colleagues, including IOA Secretary General Randhir Singh who said the allegations of financial irregularities were "grave".CWG is under Public scanner with media playing aggressive role CWG is rocked by allegations of wide scale corruption with more and more scandals coming out in the past few days, there is intense pressure on Kalmadi to start the cleansing operation.Thus a process of clean up the mess is on the anvil of Organizing committee thus hurriedly convened an emergency meeting of its Executive Board in New Delhi on Thursday 5th Aug 2010.

IOA Secretary General Randhir Singh who is also the OC Vice-Chairman wrote in a letter to Kalmadi, the meeting should be called immediately considering the gravity of the allegations."In pursuance to media reports about financial irregularities alleged in the Queen's Baton Relay at the Buckingham Palace, since the situation is grave, the discussion should be held immediately," Randhir had said in his letter.Randhir was supported by OC treasurer Anil Khanna and IOA vice-president V K Malhotra, who also wanted an immediate meeting to discuss all the unsavoury developments.

Kalmadi's own image has taken a hit after the Ministry of External Affairs revealed that the e-mail from the Indian High Commission he made public to justify payments to a UK-based company was 'doctored'.Kalmadi met External Affairs Minister S M Krishna and was confronted with the genuine e-mail from the High Commission in UK which did not mention the name of the company, A M Films, which was given a sum of over Rs three crore for providing services during the Queen's Baton Relay in London.Under intense pressure from the government, the Organising Committee formed a three-member panel to probe the allegations of irregular financial transactions.The panel comprises Jarnail Singh (OC Chief Executive Officer), G C Chaturvedi (Special Director General- Finance), and Gurjyot Kaur (Chief Vigilance Officer).The Committee will submit its report by Thursday.

Sports minister Dr. M.S. Gill today refused to comment on alleged financial irregularities in the organising committee for Commonwealth Games. He said that the issue will be discussed in Parliament. Dr. Gill, with Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit by his side, was inaugurating the Jamia Sports Complex in New Delhi this morning.

The sports minister said the issue of alleged financial irregularities in the Commonwealth Games organising committee will be discussed in the Rajya Sabha. He said that the issue may come up in the house tomorrow. He added that the Organising Committee is doing its duties and the common target is to properly organise the Games.

Meanwhile Congress party sources said that Party MP's have appealed to the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to intervene to save the Commonwealth Games. This is important to protect the country's honour and prestige before the global community.

The appeal was made by the Congress MPs, who attended a sub-committee meeting of the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee yesterday. Official sources said that a senior government official attached to the Organising Committee briefed the committee on the actual tender procedures and the firms hired to supply state-of-the-art equipment

The former Sports Minister and Congress Parliament Member Manishankar Aiyyar today demanded constitution of a special committee to oversee the functioning of Commonwealth Organising Committee in the wake of allegations of corruption. He was talking to reporters outside Parliament today.

The CPI(M) has also asked the Centre to take immediate steps to check alleged irregularities in the Commonwealth Games projects. In a related development, Delhi High Court today declined to hear a PIL seeking direction to Centre to avail assistance from technocrats for timely completion of Games projects. The Court dismissed the PIL saying it is not their domain.


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