KARACHI, April 11: The incumbent stewards of the Karachi Race Club (KRC) are flouting the memorandum and articles of the association of KRC by occupying their offices after the expiry of their term, it emerged on Wednesday.
The incumbents were elected for third one-year term in the 24th annual general body meeting held at the KRC on Dec 7, 2010.
MNA Syed Sadruddin Shah and former bureaucrat Kamal Afsar were re-elected president and chairman respectively of the KRC for third successive term. Others who were elected unopposed in the 10-member managing committee were Syed Ismail Shah, Haji Khuda Bux Rajar, Irfan Mehdi, Dr Abdul Karim Mahar, Yousuf Ali Khan, M. Rasheed Jung, Kamal Farooq and M. R. Hussain.
Article 39 para one of the revised memorandum and articles of the association of KRC Limited says: “At the first ordinary and subsequent general meeting convened under these articles, the ordinary members, entitled at the time to vote, shall elect a president and nine members of the committee by ballot in the manner hereinafter appearing from among the ordinary members. The term of office of the president and the committee-men shall be one year”.
Shah Mardan Shah Pir Pagara VII who was a fatherly figure and has a passion for horse racing died on Jan 10. He was succeeded by his eldest son Pir Syed Sibghatullah Shah Rashdi.
The KRC has witnessed a marked decline over these years which is evident from the drastic fall in the number of bookies and punters at the races for reasons best known to the high-ups. Bookies or turf accountants are considered backbone of the events at the racecourse. Information reveals that around 10 to 12 bookies turn up at the weekly races as against 20 to 25 who used to show up previously.
Bookies provide a big chunk of income to the KRC to meet its expenses. A bookie pays from Rs60,000 to Rs70,000 fee per week for operating their business.
The entrance ticket for the races is Rs100 but it’s a pity that the KRC gets a meagre Rs30 out of it while Rs70 goes to the Cantonment Board. Around 400 to 600 punters turn up at the races.
Despite reducing the staff to almost half from 150 to 70, no improvement was visible at the KRC. It is on record that Shah Mardan Shah Pir Pagara had come to the rescue to a number of KRC daily wages employees when they were fired by the present set-up in the past.
The KRC is functioning without a secretary as Syed Ayaz Hussain Shah Rashdi who was brother-in-law of Pir Pagara, resigned soon after the latter’s demise. The post needs to be filled by elevating Ali Akbar Shah and abolishing deputy secretary post.
Since becoming Pir Pagara VIII, Sibghatullah Shah has started taking interest in equine sport and horses are being tried. This has been acknowledged by punters as well.
But he needs to set the house in order by convening the electoral general body meeting at the earliest and sparing time for the betterment of the institution.