Mega sports complex in Hotwar

Ranchi, July 14: The long-awaited meeting of the executive board of National Games Organising Committee (NGOC) will finally be held on July 25.

NGOC organising secretary S.M. Hashmi confirmed this but declined to reveal anything about the agenda of the meeting. “We will finalise the agenda shortly. We are still working on it,” was all he said.

The July 25 meeting, according to NGOC by-laws, will be chaired by chief minister Arjun Munda, who is the committee’s chairman. The meeting could not be held earlier as Munda was busy.

Some of the other members of the board are R.K. Anand (working chairman), Sudesh Mahto (senior vice-chairman), Ajoy Kumar Singh (sports secretary and NGOC organising secretary for infrastructure), S.M. Hashmi (NGOC organising secretary) and Madhu Kant Pathak (treasurer).

This will be the first meeting of the executive committee after the Games, which concluded on February 26, 2011. The executive board last met on January 14, 2011.

The news should bring some relief, if not complete respite, to hoteliers, suppliers of sports equipment, transport and caterers, who had provided their services during the Games, but are yet to be paid. In fact, they have been sending frequent reminders to the NGOC, particularly treasurer Pathak, about the payments.

One of the sports equipment suppliers had even used Facebook to ask his dues from Pathak. But NGOC officials kept claiming that a decision on clearing the sums could only be taken at the meeting of the executive board.

“This is a crucial meeting. Many important issues are likely to be discussed. It will also pave the way for payment of dues to vendors, who had supplied goods for the 34th National Games, and others,” admitted a senior NGOC functionary.

Sources said reports submitted by various sub-committees would be discussed so that decisions on payments could be taken. But the catch is that many sub-committees have not yet submitted their reports, sources added.

The NGOC secretariat is busy preparing reports, including audited reports, and comments of the auditor for the July 25 meeting. The NGOC has asked the auditor to submit a report on such sub-committees that are yet to complete the formalities.