suresh kalmadi controversy

Did Commonwealth Games Organising Committee (OC) chairman Suresh Kalmadi influence the purchase of equipment for the upcoming National Games at Ranchi, ignoring tender norms and causing a significant loss to public exchequer?

If an ongoing inquiry in Ranchi and some communications accessed by TOI are anything to go by, then Kalmadi, who is also the president of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), has fresh trouble on hands, outside the controversies surrounding the Commonwealth Games.

According to a letter written by advocate RK Anand - the former Rajya Sabha member who is now the chairman of the National Games Organising Committee (NGOC) for the Ranchi Games - to Kalmadi, the latter allegedly influenced the purchase of electronic boards and other items for the National Games.

An interim audit had late last year found serious problems with the purchase of electronic items for the Games, such as the colour score board with replay facilities etc. It was found that though the IOA had specified three brands - Finish Lynx, Omega and Absen Opto-Tech - only two bids had been submitted for a package of 61 items. For a particular item in this, Shiv Naresh Sports quoted Rs 94.38 lakhs while Gem International had quoted Rs 124.94 lakhs. Gem was selected in this case against the rule that the lowest bidder should be selected.

The audit has pointed out several such instances. "This was against all canons of financial propriety and principles effecting economy in public expenditure," the auditors had said.

According to Anand, secretary general of the Jharkhand Olympic Association, S M Hashmi, had recommended the purchase of Gem brand on the orders of Kalmadi.

Anand, in a letter dated August 4, has written to Kalmadi, accusing him of influencing the decision. On learning about the audit, Anand says, he had issued a notice to Hashmi. "His stand was very clear that the list has been provided by Shri Suresh Kalmadi and after discussing, he has been directed to purchase the particular kind of equipment," Anand wrote in his letter to Kalmadi.

Anand also says that there was no official record of any IOA executive body meeting which shows that it had officially decided to buy any particular brand. "I would request you to kindly clarify on the aforesaid two points," Anand wrote to Kalmadi.

The Ranchi Games have been postponed several times and are now slated to held later this year.

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Hi Everyone !!! Winston Churchill once said "when ever we leave India, It would be ruled by the goons" and looking at present condition of the country and deeds of the political class. The statement is proved true even after 67 years after gaining independence. When an officer halts illegal activity then the ruling class dismisses the officer and dictates to ruling party that if they say anything against the decision then the support of their MP's in Parliament would be taken back. Every person in power rules their people rather then administering efficiently for their upliftment. PreIndependence era was 100 times better wrto law and order, implementation of laws and another merit about British era was that we were much better placed in transport sector in pre independence era, train journey from Ambala cantt to Amritsar took 4 hrs then and it still takes 4 hrs in superfast class of trains....isn't it shameful. In India a major portion of the votes which are given is often purchased by the candidates(who have deep pockets filled with money which they gulped in their last term). Majority of the people put votes by keeping their castes in mind and making as goon win elections(from their own cast), rather then choosing a candidate with clean image. Some percentage of Indian voters are really really foolish(according to me) as we can clearly see around 30 percent of criminals representing people, These criminals would never ever be convicted because as they say "supremacy of parliament should be maintained" and they are above the law. This bloody notion that Parliament is above all other institutions(even the constitution) is helping in shielding the criminals/corrupt people who have reached there by hook/crook and muscle power. The whole bloody system is corrupt, people are sleeping, Political class is doing nothing for country as various initiatives which were good for country like "Hum do hamare do" for controlling population is no more advertised and is informally taken back by the government with the sole reason being that if population is controlled and people start studying till the level when they can understand things good for country then they would root out the present political class, So why hit your own feet with axe. When Politicians follow approach of "Divide and Rule" over people rather then unite them together for the country, Looks like the political class have put country up for sale, everything can be purchased here votes, goons, riots, disharmony, and we are thaught that britishers played "Divide and Rule". I still think that if Britain didn't go bankrupt after second world war then they would have administered us for a longer duration and we would have been technologically ahead by atleast ten years as of now. I still firmly believe this country needs a revolution against corrupt political class, so that we can maintain the rich history we possesed, rather then saying britishers took it all away, whereas actually it's the political class which is taking it all away from the country and selling the country to foreign hands. I somwtimes wonder about why in USA the party which wins the election and forms government is termed as 'Administration' whereas in India we are 'ruled' by the politicians which we elect. God save this country because if some offcial wants to do right he/she is transferred/suspended (for example Ashok Khemka and Durga nagpal), there would be many others which the media class is not paid for to highlight. GOD SAVE THIS COUNTRY from going to the gallows!! JAI HIND!!

suresh kalmadi controversy