The State Government has issued orders to recover Rs 10 lakh allotted to ‘Table Tennis Academy’ along with interest after it found that such an academy is a non-existent one. ‘Express’ had reported that many such organisations which existed merely on paper were on the prowl to grab a major chunk of the funds allocated to promote sports in the state ahead of the National Games.
‘’The State Government has asked those behind it to remit the amount along with interest after it was found that ‘Table Tennis Academy’ is a non-existent one. The Chief Minister’s office had intervened to recover the money along with interest and to remit it back to the exchequer.
“We are told that those behind it had already paid back the money. A Vigilance probe is on and our association is also carrying out a parallel inquiry,’’ said S A S Navas, secretary, the Kerala Table Tennis Association (KTTA) and Regional Sports Centre, Kochi. The State Government vide an order 2423/A3/13 had asked the Director of Sports and Youth Affairs to recover the amount that the Sports Department had allotted to the Table Tennis Academy, Thiruvananthapuram. The decision to allot the fund was taken at a meeting held on January 25, 2013 which was presided over by then Sports Minister K B Ganesh Kumar. The first installment of the proposed sum of Rs 30 lakh for the Academy was released as per a government order dated March 27.
But when contacted by ‘Express’, officials of the Sports Council and the Kerala Table Tennis Association had said that they were unaware of any such academy functioning in the state capital. They also had pointed out that lack of proper screening would result in many instances of financial misappropriation ahead of the National Games with many such paper organisations approaching the government for funds in the guise of promoting sports.
Navas, who participated in the senior national table tennis tournaments from 1976 to 1984 and represented the country in the World Veteran Championship, said that to prevent such corrupt practices in the future, funds meant for sports promotion should be rooted through the respective associations.
“Certainly this was done with a malafide intention and though the money was allotted in the name of an academy, the cheque was encashed by individuals through their private accounts.
“Action will be taken against those who were behind the move after the Vigilance completes its inquiry,’’ he added.