World Kabaddi Cup bills due, hoteliers threaten to sue admn

BATHINDA: The Hotel, Restaurant and Resorts Association, Bathinda, has threatened to sue the district administration if it fails to make payments due to various establishments for services rendered during the sixth World Kabbadi Cup held here in November last year. They put the pending bills at Rs 60 lakh.

Hosts India along with 10 other teams participated in the men’s section while eight women teams participated in the BR Ambedkar World Kabbadi Cup backed by the Punjab government.

It was a pet project of the then deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal under the SAD-BJP regime led by chief minister Parkash Singh Badal. The Congress, which returned to power in March this year, had been opposing the event. Capt Amarinder Singh, who is now CM, had termed it “only a show for Sukhbir’s personal survival where he has crossed all the limits of modesty for gathering crowds to satisfy his ego”.

On the sixth edition last year, barely four months before the SAD-BJP went out of power after a 10-year rule, the government had spent nearly Rs 5 crore on the inauguration and closing ceremonies, besides Rs 7 crore on prize money.

Satish Arora, president of the association, said the dis- trict administration had asked hoteliers to provide rooms and other services for the teams. “The administration was supposed to make advance payments that were never made, but hoteliers gave services to the visiting teams as it was an international event. Now, if the administration fails to clear the dues in 15 days, we will knock at the doors of the judiciary and demand money to be paid with interest.”

Vijay Katia , owner of Hotel Sepal, said the average price was Rs 2,500 per person per day, including lodging and three meals. He added that part payment — Rs 30 lakh of the total Rs 90 lakh — was made by the administration two months ago, but the rest was pending since teh submission of bills in December 2016.

When asked about it, deputy commissioner Diparva Lakra said, “Once the administration receives funds, we will make the payments. As of now, there are no funds available for it.”