Ludhiana DC restricts working of Lodhi Club executive committee
The executive members including the general secretary of Lodhi Club have also been restricted from conducting meetings without the consent of president
Amid row over allotment of catering contract of Lodhi Club, deputy commissioner (DC)-cum-club president Varinder Sharma has restricted the working of the executive committee by assigning four nominated members to look after operations.
The executive members including the general secretary have also been restricted from conducting meetings without the consent of the president and files regarding the working of the club will move to the president through the offices of nominated members.
In the orders dated September 18, it has been stated that the president is the sole authority to call for executive committee meetings as per section 25 of the constitution. General secretary or any three members can only propose a meeting. In the president’s absence, a nominated member will do the same. Any meeting held without the consent of the president will be unconstitutional and invite strict disciplinary action.
Additional chief administrator, GLADA, Sandeep Kumar has been appointed to look after sports; land acquisition collector of LIT, Neeru Katyal Gupta, for general matters, new membership, construction/renovation work; SDM (West) Jagdeep Saigal for mess and bar related matters and Assistant Commissioner (G) Parleen Kaur Kaleka for cultural activities.
DC Sharma said that appointment of nominated members is part of the constitution and nothing new had been introduced. The executive members had started bypassing the nominated members/chairperson of different committees like it happened during the allotment process of the catering contract wherein the executive had recommended second highest bidder by bypassing the Chairperson of the committee formed for the process.
General Secretary of the club, Nitin Mahajan said that there has been some miscommunication or misunderstandings in the past but the executive committee has been working with transparency and the orders issued by the President will further encourage transparency in the system. The procedure might become a little lengthy but the executive will follow the same.
Controversy had erupted after the executive committee members failed to formally receive DC Sharma when he reached the club to participate in the food festival in the club on Saturday evening, the day when orders were issued to assign the nominated members. Sharma had returned from the parking lot of the club.
Mahajan however stated that there was no issue but the staff of DC failed to inform the executive committee about his arrival. DC Sharma stated that orders have nothing to do with the incident and these have been issued to improve the working.