Farooq gives nod to hike in salary of staff; says infra dev a priority

Rajesh Dhar
JAMMU, Mar 4: Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy and president, Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA), Dr Farooq Abdullah chaired the Working Committee Meeting of JKCA at Hotel Fortune, here today.
Members of three Clubs namely ICC Jammu, MCC Sopore and FCC Jammu were not allowed to attend the meeting because of the disputes in these Clubs.
Sources said that at the very outset, the JKCA president congratulated the members, all and sundry, for brilliant performance of J&K teams at the National scene in the current season and said that the Ranji Trophy team has made the entire cricketing fraternity to feel ecstatic and blissful.
Sources added while Manzoor Wazir, treasurer JKCA laid the statement of receipts and payments of accounts for the year 2012-13 before the members, some the members challenged his status and appealed for his resignation in connection with alleged involvement in certificate scam, which has surfaced in certain media few days back.
However, with the intervention of the chair, things were sorted out and the agenda was discussed in letter and spirit.
The president requested the members to go through the accounts and raise objections, if any, in writing so that the same could be taken up in the next meeting.
Dr Farooq Abdullah announced that the elections of JKCA, for which the members and the cricket enthusiasts are waiting in the wings, will be held in the 2nd week of May, 2014, soon after the conclusion of Parliamentary elections.
The president JKCA alongwith the Working Committee Members gave nod to the hike of salary of JKCA staff including groundsmen by 25 percent.
“The Working Committee also agreed to sanction a benevolent fund to the tune of Rs 4 lakh, including one and a half lakh each by RCC Jammu and KCCC for the family of late cricketer Rajinder Arora of Jammu, who had been instrumental in organizing many cricketing activities in Jammu division. Dr Farooq Abdullah and Romesh Mahajan also contributed one lakh each in their personal capacities for the family of the late cricketer taking the welfare amount to Rs 6 lakh. The proposal in this regard was moved by Anil Khajuria, Member MCC Jammu,” sources added.
The Working Committee also sanctioned the release of funds due to the clubs from last four years, besides sanctioning the due TA/DA of officials.
Dr Farooq Abdullah directed the 5-member Committee including four former general secretaries in M L Nehru, Abdul Rauf, Mehboob Iqbal and Saleem Khan, besides senior Working Committee Member, Chaman Lal Chrangoo to frame and recommend the ways and means of improving the functioning of JKCA.
He said that the International standard stadium proposed to be developed at Bajalta in Jammu, the work for which could not be initiated earlier because of the lack of funds, will also be started very soon.