Saurashtra cricket body in conflict-of-interest mess

New Delhi, Dec 21 : Former Saurashtra cricketer Nikhil Rathod has alleged conflict of interest against the treasurer of the Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA), Shyam Raichura, in an e-mailed complaint to the SCA, its ombudsman as well as the ethics officer of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). He also alleged that the SCA is being run by sons of former association bosses.
“The current treasurer (Shyam Raichura) and president (Jaydev Shah) are son/dynast of former president and treasurer… Niranjan Shah and Nitin Raichura and nephew Mr Himanshu Shah is secretary for which the notice is issued for the same by Hon’ble Gujarat High Court.” Rathod has written in his complaint.
Rathod said that the hotel owned and run by Raichura family is used to host the visiting teams and that tantamounts to conflict of interest.
“…and for the past many years since the inception of Hotel Fern, in which the former treasurer and current treasurer of SCA are clear stakeholders and directors, the cricket team (sic) coming for various tournaments organised by BCCI in Rajkot and also the local players are made to stay in the same hotel in which the treasurer of the SCA are managing directors or stakeholders for which many bills were raised and passed,” adds Rathod in the letter, a copy of which is with IANS.
When contacted Raichura, a former secretary and the father of current treasurer Shyam, told IANS: “There is no conflict. I think our hotel is one of the three-four hotels that is providing accommodation to players. It is not that there is any favouritism or bribing. All routine things. There is no change in price or priority. Also Rajkot does not have many properties that have the required specifications. I don’t understand what is the problem.” Nitin Raichura is a shareholder, the owner of the Fern hotel about which the complaint has been filed.