NAGPUR District Unified Hockey Association (NDUHA) President Pramod Thakre has demanded to dissolve the current executive body and has sought fresh and proper elections. Thakre’s remarks came a day after ‘The Hitavada’ in its ‘CityLine’ issue published how NDUHA’s executive bodies were ‘illegally’ elected without following any proper election procedures and the alleged ‘dictatorial’ way of functioning by Secretary Parvez Qureshi. Thakre, who was appointed as the President in 2022, came down heavily upon Secretary Qureshi and acknowledged “each and every word” of what Pramod Jain stated to this newspaper. “I am really sorry to say, but that is what is happening at present in NDUHA. I support what Jain has said.

 

There has hardly been any meeting called by the Secretary (Qureshi) since 2022. He is taking all the decisions without the consent of the members. Even the President (Thakre himself ) is kept in the dark,” said the NDUHA chief. Thakre alleged that Qureshi is the only person in contact with Hockey Maharashtra and attends meetings of the association without informing the NDUHA executive committee. “When Manoj Bhore (Sr Vice-President of Hockey Maharashtra) visited Nagpur, I was never informed and only Qureshi and Anil Daral (Treasurer) met him,” Thakre claimed. To clear the messy affair in NDUHA, Thakre demanded fresh elections of the association. “I want this present 17-member executive committee dissolved and fresh elections are held as per rules and regulations of the c o n s t i t u t i o n s . Then only the pride of the association can be restored.

 

“I have called a meeting on Saturday and will decide future course of action,” Thakre informed. Thakre also said that despite reminding, the Secretary did not take efforts to register the present body with the Charity Commissioner’s Office.

 

“I asked him several times to get this body registered with the Charity Commissioner’s Office but to no avail. “When I joined this body, all I wanted was to see hockey grow in the district. But that purpose has been defeated. Not conducting a single tournament in three years is a failure of the entire executive committee,” Thakre admitted. Thakre also revealed that it was Jain who should have been elected as VicePresident of Hockey Maharashtra and not Qureshi. “It was Jain who should have got that (Hockey Maharashtra VicePresident’s) post as he was the former secretary and looking at his seniority in hockey administration. But Qureshi sidelined him and ‘grabbed’ the post,” alleged Thakre. “I think we should start afresh with a new EC body and start organising tournaments, which is our main job,” concluded Thakre.