Shimla, April 11 (IANS): Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on Saturday said the government has brought legislation to regulate sports associations, thereby making them accountable.
Slamming BJP MP Anurag Thakur - administered Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) for allegedly committing forgery to grab government land in Dharamsala for the construction of the stadium, the chief minister said the association that was meant to boost sports activities was converted into a company to benefit a few.
Addressing a gathering in Hamirpur town, the home constituency of Thakur, the chief minister said the HPCA nominated former chief minister (Prem Kumar Dhumal) as its chief patron and his son Thakur as its president besides friends as its life-time members without providing voting rights to anyone.
Virbhadra Singh said the HPCA got itself registered as the Himalayan Players Cricket Association in Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh and flouted all legal norms, and later got itself registered again under the Companies Act somewhere in Chandigarh.
"The association, which was converted into a company, is against the law."
He said the legislation was passed by the state assembly under which all sports bodies would be registered as per norms and the members would be elected in a democratic way.
The assembly on Thursday passed the Himachal Pradesh Sports (Registration, Recognition and Regulation of Associations) Bill, 2015, amid heated arguments between the treasury and opposition benches that brought 42 sports bodies, including the state cricket association, under government control.
At the onset of the debate on the bill, the chief minister said at present there is no regulation to monitor sports associations in the state.
"The legislation covers all aspects, which are necessary for regulation of sports associations, to enable them to function in a democratic manner, remain accountable with regard to promotion of all games and sports and prosper in a free and fair environment, and to uphold the cause of sportspersons," he said.
The HPCA's showpiece international stadium in Dharamsala, one of the most beautiful grounds in the world, has so far hosted nine IPL and two ODI matches.
In the current IPL season, Dharamsala was not allotted a single match owing to the tussle between the Congress-led state government and the HPCA.