Himanta takes charge of ACA, promises clean-up

By our Sports Reporter

GUWAHATI, June 12: The much-hyped annual general meeting of the Assam Cricket Association, held today after delay of two years, turned into a damp squib, with the new office bearers getting selected without an election on expected lines. There was no objection from any quarter when the new office bearers of the association were selected.

But a verbal duel between former secretary Bikash Baruah and former vice president Rani rah raised the temperature of the otherwise ‘very calm and cool’ meeting which lasted for nearly one hour and 45 minutes.

The meeting was presided over by former president Gautam Roy. Justice (retired) C R Sharma, who was appointed as observer by the Gauhati High Court, was also present in the meeting.

There was hardly any trouble for Roy to conduct the meeting but for the Rani rah-Bikash Baruah episode which took centre-stage in the meeting.

Baruah, who attended the meeting with permission from the court, was involved in a verbal duel with Rani rah on the issue of creating a separate post to promote women’s cricket. Sources said there was a heated exchange of words between the two before Gautam Roy and Himanta Biswa Sarma interfered and controlled the situation.

Once normalcy returned, the officials did not waste too much time to constitute the new committee of the association. It was Roy who proposed the me of Himanta Biswa Sarma as the new president and said the new president was interested to constitute the committee avoiding election, and if there is any objection he or she can put it forward. However, no one went against this decision and the house allowed Roy and Sarma to constitute the new set of office bearers. They did it after a brief meeting in a separate room.

Chief Minister Sarbanda Sonowal was selected as chief patron of the new committee. Gautam Roy and Sports Minister ba Doley were included in the committee as patrons.

Pradip Buragohain, a close aide of Chief Minister Sarbanda Sonowal, will be the new secretary of the association while Manindra th Saikia got the post of treasurer. Bikash Baruah and Ghashyam Baruah were also included in the governing body as ex-officio members.

Talking to mediapersons after the meeting, new president Himanta Biswa Sarma said that he will try to maintain transparency in the activities of the association. “The new committee will work closely with former cricketers to take forward the game in the State,” said Sarma.

Meanwhile, Sarma has entrusted the responsibility of completing the Barsapara cricket stadium to outgoing president Gautam Roy. Roy informed the media today that he will complete the remaining work of the stadium by August with the help of the new committee.

Later, the stadium will be iugurated at a glittering function and Prime Minister rendra Modi will be invited to it.

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