State minister for youth and sports Zahid Ahsan Russel (C) speaks to reporters at his office on Tuesday. — New Age photo
State minister for youth and sports Zahid Ahsan Russel on Tuesday sought to amend the law to bring all sporting clubs of the country accountable to his ministry.
‘The clubs are not under our authority. Most of clubs are limited companies and are registered with the finance ministry. And the clubs which are not limited companies they are registered with the social welfare ministry,’ Russel told reporters at his office.
‘That’s why we can’t ask them for any information, can’t oversee them nor bring them under any accountability. Even when we invite them to a meeting, a lot of the times they don’t attend,’ he added.
Russel’s comments came after law-enforcement agencies found illegal casinos in several clubs in their recent drive and detained few officials.
‘They are accountable to the ministry’s they registered under and they provide information of their annual income, expenditure and programmes to them. We can’t take any actions and even when we try, the clubs don’t co-operate with us,’ he said.
‘So I think whichever ministry gives the registration there should be a clause that the youth and sports ministry can also oversee them,’ added the minister.
‘The events organised by them, their source of income and where they are spending, we should be informed about these things. I think the time has come to put this clause in the law,’ he added.
Disclosing that no club had responded to his invitation after he took over the charge of the ministry, Russel said if they were connected with his ministry it could even try to help them financially.
‘They may do other things but these clubs are mainly known for sports and the ministry should have power over them. Then we can even help the clubs financially if they are under us just like we help different federations,’ Russel said.
‘After I became a minister, I invited them [clubs] but no one really responded. So I think these clubs of course need to be accountable to the sports ministry,’ he said.
Russell made the comments after his meeting with federation officials where it was decided that 89 sports event in both national and international level will be held to mark the birth centenary of the country’s founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
‘We congratulate the federations who have done well and help the ones who didn’t do well so that they can perform better in the future,’ Russell said.
Source: New Age.
