Asom Govt asks National Games certificate to be verified

Guwahati, July 3 (UNI) A worried and embarrassed Asom government today launched a damage control measure over the National Games Certificate scandal urging all to verify the records before accepting Guwahati National Games certificate.

''All the records of the Guwahati Games can be found in its website, www.33rdnationalgames.nic.in, and one should verify these before accepting the certificate for any purpose'' National Games Secretariat Director (Operation) Dhruva Harzaika said.

The state government had asked all the players not to accept the National Games certificate on the face value.

''Whenever a certificate is produced, they should check the veracity of the same from our web site'' Mr Hazarika added.

These unpreceedented steps had to be taken following the busting of a racket, selling blank but signed certificates of Guwahati National Games. Infact one of the certificates bore the name of the father of the nation.

These certificates were being misused by many for getting admission in colleges, job in public-sector firms and even to get a visa, Mr Hazaraika said.

The certificates are signed by Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president Suresh Kalmadi, secretary-general Randhir Singh, Asom Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and Assam National Games Organising Committee secretary-general V S Bhaskar.

Already the IOA had launched a separate inquiry while the state government had not been able to give any plausible answer. ''We give the certificates to the Chef De Mission and from that level it was misused'' Mr Bhaskar said.

UNI