Source: Gomantak Times Oct 22. GT Newsroom:
The International Centre, Goa in association with Goa RTI Forum and Panjim Table Tennis Club organized a symposium on RTI and Good Governance by Sports Associations in Goa, on Sunday 21 at International Centre, Goa. A Resolution was unanimously passed during the symposium, asking the Government to issue a Notification bringing all Sports Associations recognized by the Sports Authority of Goa under the RTI Act, and further directing them to appoint Public Information Officers as mandated under the Act failing which they should be derecognized by the SAG. The resolution was moved by Vice-president of the forum, Rui Ferreira and seconded by Secretary, Srikant Barve. The symposium was attended by representatives of the SAG, Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs, Office bearers of sports associations, RTI activists, members of the RTI Forum and others. There was a prolonged discussion over the reluctance of many sports associations to put in place a mechanism to disseminate information on one pretext or the other.Mario Moraes, Secretary, Goa Athletics Association, and Mr. Vero Nunes, President, Goa Table Tennis Association, said they did not have sufficient staff to respond to RTI queries. Mr. Vero Nunes came under sustained fire over reluctance to entertain RTI queries. He has been at the helm of affairs for nearly 30 years, it was pointed out. Nandini Sahai, Director, ICG, said Sports Bodies must not claim protection from scrutiny under the guise of being ‘private bodies’ as their functions are clearly of a public nature. Associations are responsible for selecting Players who represent the State Teams, such duties are in discharge of which the State, public or community at large has an interest, and violations committed can be detrimental to the interests of the Public. Hence matters related to selection, seeding, player rankings, etc have to be transparent. Besides, when they are being given substantial grants, there is no reason why they must not be covered under RTI, she argued. Chetan Kavlekar, President of Physical Education Teacher’s Association said for Sports to be brought up, the Associations need to involve the Physical Education Teachers at the grass root levels, which at present is not happening now. The Government and Associations must work harmoniously and in a coordinated manner with the P.E Teachers to fulfill the objectives of achieving excellence in sports, he said. Sandeep Heble, Secretary, Panjim Table Tennis Club, said there should be transparency in the functioning of the State-level sports Associations and pointed out that the State government had issued guidelines bringing all associations recognised by the SAG within the ambit of the RTI Act. However, barring Goa Chess Association, none of the other State-level sports associations have appointed Public Information Officers or have made suo moto disclosures as had been mandated by Section 4 of the RTI Act, he said. Heble criticized some associations for resisting RTI applications by claiming that the publications in the gazette were only guidelines which were not binding on them. Pointing out that a few sports associations had virtually turned fiefdoms of some people, he demanded that the tenure clause of 12 years for President and 8 years for Secretary and Treasurer which has been issued by the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs be strictly followed and those who were heading Associations for longer periods be asked to step down immediately. Heble also pointed out that many Government Servants were holding elective posts in Sports Bodies for more than 15 years even though there were strict Memoranda issued under CCS Rules that Government Servants cannot hold posts of elective office in Sports Bodies for more than 4 years. “We have filed appropriate complaints. The State must step in and ask the Government Servants to withdraw from their posts in the Sports Bodies immediately or take appropriate disciplinary action against the erring employees”, he said. Further countering the claim of Vero Nunes that Associations do not have sufficient staff to respond to RTI queries, Heble said when some members can perform voluntary service of President and Secretary for periods of as long as 20 and 30 years, surely there would be others who could perform the voluntary service of a Public Information Officer for lesser terms. Hence the contentions of those opposing the RTI Act were mere excuses to avoid giving information and to avoid coming under scrutiny, he said. Barve, Secretary of RTI Forum, demanded that the Sports Associations must be directed by the SAG to either have independent websites or to have linkage with SAG website so that people could easily access information without needing to file RTI applications. Advovcate Aires Rodrigues decried the prevailing culture of “non-transparency and consequent corruption” in sports bodies. Giving a detailed account of his long-drawn battle with the Goa Cricket Association (GCA), he said the dispute had finally landed in High Court after the GCA had challenged the verdict of the State Information Commission that it was a public authority which was bound to provide information to the applicant. Stating that the GCA had benefited from the State Government, Adv.. Rodrigues said the GCA, under the former Congress Minister Dayanand Narvekar, opted to pay back Rs. 50 lakh loan along with Rs. 10.32 lakh interest as well as Rs. 17.69 lakh the SAG had paid by way of salaries of GCA coaches, only to avoid coming under the RTI Act. “Except for Gujarat Cricket Association headed by Chief Minister Narendra Modi and Goa Cricket Association, which refuse to give information under the RTI, all other cricket associations had been giving information under the Act,” said Adv. Rodrigues. He further said the situation in the State was very bad as appeals and complaints had been piling up at the State Information Commission with the Government having failed to appoint both the Chief Commissioner and the State Information Commissioner. Even the Lokayukta has not been appointed despite the tall promises made, he thundered. RTI activist Ketan Govekar pointed out that with Sports Associations refusing to comply with the RTI, they were avoiding being accountable. He said the associations, which refused to come under the ambit of the RTI, should not be funded any more by the State. The general perception at the symposium was that most of the Associations had lost sight of their principal objective which was the development and promotion of sports and the welfare of sportspersons. It was also felt that the membership in the Associations was being deliberately kept limited to a few, thus enabling those at the helm of affairs to remain in power perpetually. There was a consensus that the SAG must be more assertive, and must no longer allow violations and mismanagement by Sports Associations to go scot free.
