Chandigarh Sports Department asks Olympic Association to submit balance sheet
Deepankar Sharda
Chandigarh, February 27
In a fresh salvo, the UT Sports Department has issued a circular to the Chandigarh Olympic Association (COA) asking it to submit its balance sheet of financial years 2014-15 and 2015-16 in order to release financial assistance for sending local teams to the recently concluded Gujarat National Games – 2022.
The department has asked the COA to submit the list of selected players, grant applied, letter from hosting states, income and expenditure statement, along with balance sheet for financial years 2014-15 and 2015-16, which has not been submitted till date.
“We can only release the grant if the COA submits all these details at the earliest,” said a senior functionary of the Sports Department.
No record received: Assn
Meanwhile, COA general secretary NS Thakur claimed that he has already informed the present COA president and the former general secretary and the former president to furnish the documents, but to no avail. “I have sent at least three circulars to the present president and former office-bearers of the association, but I am yet to hear from them. There’s nothing more I can do. Even for this national (Gujarat), only three associations have submitted
their details with us so far,” said Thakur. COA president Amarinder Singh Bazaz, who is holding the post since 2017, preferred not to comment on the issue. In 2014-15 and 2015-16, the COA was headed by former Punjab Sports Minister Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi. Meanwhile, a balance sheet of year 2020 has been made public, which doesn’t carry approval of the COA president.
Infighting among officials
While the COA functionary, which is already lying defunct after failing to conduct a single state championship in the past 17 years, is likely to keep mum on this issue, the UT Sports Department cannot issue any financial assistance to the association till the time all documents are furnished. The in-fighting among COA officials has made the association to face such situation. The association is neither contributing in promoting sports nor making any development towards following UT Sports Department rules, claimed an official. “Even in these National Games, the teams were sent by taking help of sponsors and some amount was used by the association. However, this won’t solve the purpose in the long run. The association is already facing resentment for not providing platform for sportspersons,” said a COA member.
