District badminton association embroiled in fresh controversy

Nikhil Bhardwaj

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, February 28

Already under scanner over the alleged financial irregularities in the Jalandhar District Badminton Association, another case of gross misuse of funds in the organisation has come to light.

According to information and supporting documents with The Tribune, the general secretary of the Punjab Badminton Association has allegedly diverted funds, meant for the construction of a girls’ hostel at Hans Raj Stadium, Jalandhar, to the tune of Rs 3 lakh towards the District Cultural Society. What is interesting is that even the stone outside the girls’ hostel clearly mentioned that out of the total cost of Rs 17 lakh, funds of Rs 5 lakh were given by the then Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament Kartar Singh Duggal.

The Tribune has a letter signed by Kalsi which he wrote to the joint secretary, District Badminton Association.

A detailed perusal of the matter brought to light that a hostel for the girl players was constructed at the Hans Raj stadium way back in the year 2001. The total cost of construction of the hostel was Rs 17 lakh, out of which Rs 5 lakh was given as grant by the then Rajya Sabha Member Kartar Singh Duggal. It was the then PM in the year 1998, who helped the initiation of the process for the grant through Duggal. The stadium construction work started on May 22, 2000, and was completed on July 15, 2001.

Now, in a startling revelation, it has come to light that out of that grant of Rs 5 lakh, the association had given an amount of Rs 3 lakh as donation to the District Cultural Society. What is surprising is that there was no such provision to divert the funds and at the same time, it appears ridiculous that from a total grant of Rs 5 lakh meant for the construction of the stadium, more than half the money was donated to the cultural society.

According to a letter (a copy of which is with The Tribune), written in this regard by Kalsi, clarifying the matter, it was the then PM, who wanted the cultural society to be given Rs 3 lakh. In the letter, which dates back to year 2010, written to Rakesh Khanna, joint secretary of the Jalandhar Badminton Association, Kalsi had stated, “The PM wanted funds to be transferred to the District Cultural Society, for which he directed Rajya Sabha MP Kartar Singh Duggal. Since the funds to be transferred to the society were not for any construction purpose, hence the president of the association, who happens to be the Deputy Commissioner, released a sum of Rs 5 lakh to our association, with an understanding to release an amount of Rs 3 lakh to the cultural society.”

Kalsi said Rs 3 lakh was transferred at the behest of the then Deputy Commissioner Sewa Parshad and he had no role behind the diversion. “Even the Rs 3 lakh was not transferred from the MP fund, but from the Badminton Association’s separate funds only.”

Asked if the association had the power to transfer the association’s personal funds, even if not the MP funds, he said funds were transferred at the behest of the then DC only.

When asked that the letter written by him (Kalsi) stated that Rs 3 lakh was transferred from the MP fund, he said it was some clerical mistake and was written wrongly in the letter.

Sachin Ratti, who had already filed a PIL in the High Court on which the court had issued a notice to the Badminton Association challenging the 30-year tenure of Kalsi, said he would file a separate complaint regarding the wrongful diversion of funds to seek action against Kalsi.