Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and activist Ravinder Jugran said that taking strong action against those involved in the 2002 scandal, in which the then president of Uttarakhand Olympic Association transferred `13 lakh to his and wife’s personal account from the `15 lakh provided by Uttarakhand Government for holding the State Olympic games, will be the true tribute to late Finance Minister Prakash Pant. He said that since 2002, Pant has been raising questions regarding the scandal in assembly, but till date the accused are roaming free.
Jugran said, “Since the creation of Uttarakhand as a separated State, bureaucrats and political leaders have used sports for their personal gains. Sports and sports persons are being disregarded.”
He further added, “On September 5, 2018 Uttarakhand Government issued orders for the implementation of National Sports Development Code-2011, stating the need for transparency in sports association. However, sports association, sports officers, senior officers and UOA itself are not following the orders, then what can be expected from anyone else.”
“On the initiative taken by State’s Cabinet Minister Prakash Pant in 2002, an inquiry was ordered on the disbursement of those `15 lakh, which were provided by the State Government for the conduct of state Olympic games to Rajeev Mehta, the then president of UOA. That investigation is still ongoing, without any concrete result being achieved. He alleged that even after the implementation of Sports Code, there are several government officers who are still on the executive posts of the association. He questioned the legitimacy of the basis on which Rajesh Aggarwal, the current president of UOA had been chosen. He alleged that Aggarwal is a not a resident of Uttarakhand and thus cannot be chosen as the president of the Uttarakhand Olympic Association.
When asked about his next course of action Jugran said, “We will soon be speaking with state sports secretary. If in a month there is no proper development in this matter, then we will knock the doors of the court.”