Srinagar, Jan 15: The Annual General Meeting of Amar Singh Club was successfully conducted on Saturday.
A statement issued by the Club said that the Lt Governor who is Club President had nominated Vijay Kumar Bidhuri, Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir to preside over the Annual General Meeting and Minga Sherpa, presently Deputy Commissioner, Baramulla as Returning Officer for conducting the elections.
It said that the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir And Ladakh had also appointed Advocate Khushnuma Chowdhary, as Commissioner for supervising the conduct of election proceedings.
“A record number of Club members participated in the elections which were held in mid-winters for the first time. A total of 301 votes were cast by members out of which 19 were rejected by the Returning Officer. In another first, members who were out of Kashmir or unable to cast their votes personally because of health reasons voted through WhatsApp and email under the amendments made to the Club Constitution by the General Body in 2022.”
The Honorary Secretary Nasir Hamid Khan, in his address, gave an overview of the measures taken by the Managing Committee for the augmentation of revenue and the upgradation of various Club facilities for the members. He highlighted the various amendments made to the Club Constitution by the General Body which had resulted in all members having the opportunity to participate in the elections and also empowerment of women by providing equal privileges and rights to the spouse members.
The Honorary Secretary acknowledged the intervention of the Hon’ble Club President Manoj Sinha in providing members the opportunity to elect a Managing Committee in the year 2021 after a gap of more than 6 years and again in 2023. The end of adhocism had resulted in the Club embarking on a path of remarkable growth headed towards being counted amongst the most prestigious Clubs in the country, the statement said.
He appreciated the spirit of harmony and brotherhood amongst members that had helped the Club grow phenomenally in the previous two years. He thanked the outgoing Managing Committee and the Club Staff for their stellar performance and support during their term.
“The Honorary Secretary drew the attention of the Chairman and the General Body towards the re-occupation of the Club Guest House and more than 20 kanals of Club Land by the CRPF.”
He said that the Club Management invested a substantial amount in refurbishing the Guest House but same was re-occupied in August 2019 following the abrogation of Article 370 without any formal sanction authorising the re-occupation. “No rent has been received and electricity arrears of more than Rs 80 lakh remained unsettled. The Honorary Secretary sought the intervention of the Government for the release of Club property to the management.”
On the recommendations of the Managing Committee, V K Bidhuri presented the Outstanding Club Member Awards to DrTejinder Singh Sethi, Abdul Majeed Mattu, Dr Habib Ullah and Syed Niyaz Ahmad. Three club staff were also awarded for their excellence in services, cash awards of Rs 15,000 each were presented to them.
V K Bidhuri in his address to the General Body appreciated the rich history of Amar Singh Club.
The Returning Officer, Minga Sherpa declared contestants Nasir Hamid Khan, Parvez Ahmed Bakshi, Abid Shamas, M Iqtidar Durrani, Rauf A Punjabi, Mohd Anwar Mir, Parvez Ahmed Fazili, Maninder Singh Sethi, Tanvir Ahmad Malik, Surinder Singh elected to the Managing Committee.
“After the declaration of results, the Managing Committee elected Nasir Hamid Khan as Acting Secretary in terms of Article 20(2) of the Club Constitution, the statement said.