Rajindra Gymkhana & Mahindra Club treasurer alleges financial bungling, missing of record
Kanwar Inder singh/ royalpatiala.in
One of India’s oldest and premier club Rajindra Gymkhana and Mahindra Club (RGMC) is once again in the news, but for all for a wrong reasons.
This time its treasurer, Swatantar Bansal, who is the lone member from the Gymkhana Friends Group, has pointed out financial bungling done by its previous management. He has accused the previous management for shortage of approximately Rs 12 lacs cash, which is still outstanding in the club books.
He raised questions on the working of previous executive committee members, due to which “a penalty of Rs 2.00 crores (approximately) is imposed by service tax department on the Rajindra Gymkhana & Mahindra Club. He alleged that the club management failed to avail the centre government scheme launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019 “Sab ka sath sab ka vikas”. The management could have saved crore of rupees of its members. He also pointed out that due to their negligence; earlier in the case of sales tax also club had to pay a heavy penalty.”
Bansal also pointed out that “no record of the Directory/ Actual members has been maintained. That’s why the club doesn’t have any updated membership directory, which is a grave crime. As the club is a registered company thus as per law a shareholder / member register has to be kept and updated regularly. Original record of 400-500 members is missing, which results embezzlement of funds.”
The Gymkhana Friends Group has also raised a question of raising the fee for contesting elections from Rs 5000/- to one lacs, as the ruling group wants that the election can be avoided and they keep on rotating the musical chairs as Directors are exempted for any security deposit. The opposite group wants the security deposit back to Rs 5000/-.
The Gymkhana Friends Group also raised concern about the indiscipline and fighting among the core group, which had lowered the reputation of the club to great extent. The group alleged that the ruling group is trying to divert member’s attention towards elections and other discipline related issues and enjoying wasting the public money which is a sin.
When contacted Swatantar Bansal, treasurer RGMC said, “Yes, I have raised the financial irregularities done by the previous management group. It’s my duty as a treasurer to highlight the financial irregularities, in front of our worthy members.”
When contacted Deepak Kampani of Gymkhana Friends Group, he said “our group is just streamlining the system. We are promoting brotherhood amongst club members. We want a cordial atmosphere and are against any groupism. We are working for the betterment of the club and its members”
When contacted the RGMC secretary Amarinder Singh Pabla, he said” our group has not done anything wrong. On 2.00 crore service tax, he said the department is demanding service tax on enrollment of new members, whereas we are pleading that is not a service and it’s just one time membership fees. We are paying service tax on the services rendered by us. The penalty judgment comes in feb-march this year and the club has already filed an appeal with the department’s commissionerate. We had already hired an advocate of Ludhiana to fight our case, on this issue. On enhancement of election fees from 5000/- to Rs 1.00 lacs, he said, we are a registered limited company and governed by ROC. It’s a decision of the ROC not the management’s to increase the fees. He added that at the AGM, that is going to happen before the Election Day, we will put our points before the members.”
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