The SAD-BJP Government’s World Cup Kabaddi has turned out to be a match against the Akalis with the Comptroller and Auditor General of Indian virtually indicting the previous regime for financial irregularities of several crores.
Punjab’s former Deputy Chief Minister and SAD president Sukhbir Badal has always taken pride in organising the tourney, but the CAG report raided his claims by pointing out the payments made through bogus bills.
Moreover, the expenditure of Rs 1.78 crore incurred during the World Cup Kabaddi tournament in 2011 and 2014 was in contravention of financial rules.
SAD-BJP Government, in 2010, launched the World Cup Kabaddi (WCK)—an annual tourney to promote the local sport at the international level.
Wounding the Sukhbir’s claims of promoting sports in the state, the CAG report said that no perspective and annual plans were prepared by the Punjab State Sports Council (PSSC) during the years 2011-16 to achieve its objectives and to provide direction to the promotion of sports in the State. The Council, nodal agency for implementing the sports agenda of the State, also suffered a loss of Rs 1.50 crore due to non or short collection of membership fee and ground booking fee, said the report.
CAG reports pointed that during second World Cup in November 2011, bills of 47 buses out of total 227 used during the tourney were bogus “as the registration numbers shown in the bills were of scooters, motorcycles, cars, and trucks”.
“Further, a transporter was paid for the services of seven Innova cars at the rate of Rs 1500 per day, out of which two registration numbers were of an indigo and a tractor. Thus, payment if Rs 1.68 lakh was made on bogus bills,” said the report.
Similarly, during fifth world cup in 2014, verification of records of 40 vehicles revealed that 22 vehicles — including seven scooters, two tractors, three trucks, and 10 small cars — were registered instead of the claimed category of vehicles.
Besides, the authenticity of claims of 58 buses, mentioned without registration numbers, for Rs 1.16 lakh could not be verified, and thus “appeared to be fictitious”. The reports pointed that implementation of state’s sports agenda lacked any perspective or annual work plan. “Financial management was poor as instances of unplanned expenditure and irregular release of grant were noticed. Instances of payment against bogus bills were noticed during the World Cup Kabaddi tournament,” it concluded.
If that was not enough, CAG pointed that sufficient number of coaches were not present in six out of the eight districts.
Under the Sports Policy, 2010, of the State government, a provision was made for pension for eminent sports persons and for this purpose, the state government was to provide the funds to the PSSC.
“Test check of records for the period of 2011-16 revealed that pension amounting to Rs 0.03 crore to all 123 veteran players had not been disbursed for the year 2015-16 due to non-release of funds by the State government,” the report said.
