CHENNAI: In what could be called the first instance of former players entering administration after Lodha reforms, the Punjab Cricket Association is undergoing a major transformation with two ex-Ranji players — Rakesh Handa and Rakesh Rathour — taking over the reins from the disqualified office-bearers.
What's more, it is understood that the duo have even barred former BCCI president and PCA chairman IS Bindra and veteran officials MP Pandove and GS Walia from entering the Punjab Cricket Association stadium in Mohali.
Since July last year, when the Supreme Court pronounced its order, Handa, with the support of a few Ranji players from the state, has been trying to enter the administrative fold. Weeks before Mohali hosted the ODI against New Zealand in October, many of those cricketers had alleged that Pandove & Co were stopping former cricketers from becoming PCA's executive committee members.
Even questions over funds mismanagement with regards to Rs 178.14 crore issued by the BCCI to the state unit in the last five years were raised.
The PCA had maintained it used the funds for the new stadium coming up in the outskirts of Mohali. However, Randa, who is part of an executive committee, said the amount being quoted is too high for the locality.
“The stadium being built in Jalandhar costs only around Rs 180 crore, but for Mullanpur (outskirts of Mohali) they are saying the cost is worth Rs 328 crores. When the interim-body was running the affairs of the PCA, they even managed to get a contractor on board without my signature. Only after we threatened to approach the Supreme Court did they back away,” Handa said.
But the most interesting part here is that the faction led by Handa and Rathour now possess all the cheque books and documents related to PCA, which boasts of fixed deposits of over Rs 220 crores.
“All the money that BCCI has been issuing to PCA for game development has not been spent at all. It is all lying in the bank coffers instead of using it for infrastructure developments in other districts. Most of our state players come from districts, but all the infrastructure lies only in Mohali, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Patiala and Ludhiana.
When contacted, Walia revealed that the old guard has just side-stepped on the basis of the January 2 order. “We became ineligible to continue and in that sense it is natural for the ad-hoc committee to run the show. Nobody has barred us from entering the stadium because we are still members of PCA."