NEW DELHI, August 19: The Delhi Swimming Association (DSA) outsmarted the Sports Authority of India (SAI) by getting an interim injunction in anticipation of any possible disruption of the Delhi State Aquatic meet, scheduled to begin here tomorrow at the Talkatora Pool.DSA went to court today following a demand by SAI to remit a security deposit of Rs 10,000 and rent for the use of pool at its prescribed rate of Rs 10,000 per day for the conduct of the meet in advance.Civil Judge Ramesh Kumar granted the injunction directing SAI to allow DSA to conduct the competition between August 20 and 22. He has also, in his interim order, said that SAI can deal on the money matter after the meet.However, according to sources, the association has not made any formal booking with the pool authorities till the time of going to press. Neither has it deposited any security nor the rental sought in advance by the administrator.As a result, it is believed, the meet may not begin as scheduled at 8 a.m. tomorrow because, in the absence of a formal booking, the pool administration may not want to disturb the regular swimmers who train until 9 a.m. Not only that, the DSA will also take some time before numbering the vests of participants, allotting of lanes, etc. All that after taking possession of the pool.Meanwhile, some of the participants looked worried this evening when they were making desperate inquiries about the booking of the pool. Some parents were even critical of DSA for its failure to book the pool in advance. But when contacted, secretary Raj Kumar said: ``We have already done the booking.'' However, this could not be confirmed as the pool authorities were closeted in a long meeting and no top official was available for comments.When told this, some participants demanded to know why DSA had to go to court if it had a proper booking? The bone of contention seems to be the security deposit and the rental which Raj Kumar feels is on the higher side. ``Ours is a cash-strapped association and we cannot afford this amount.''Secretary Raj Kumar said that the association had made a security deposit only once in the past. ``Even that amount (Rs. 2,500) is still with SAI. That was long back. We no longer pay any security,'' was his refrain.Apparently, some association members also went to seek the help of HRD Minister Murli Manohar Joshi to get the amount reduced but nothing came of it. But sources pointed out that the DSA had bypassed Uma Bharti, the Sports Minister, and without her intervention SAI cannot take a decision. Incidentally, the Sports Minister is also the chairperson of the Finance Committee that takes decision on financial matters of SAI.Some time ago, the finance committee had hiked the security deposit from Rs 5,000 to Rs. 10,000 and it justified the increase saying that the operational cost of each SAI stadium/pool was much more than the amount demanded. The amount that SAI seeks is universal and they make no concession to any organisation.As an official pointed out, even the Haryana Swimming Association, who organised their meet at the pool a couple of days ago, had to pay the amount, including the security deposit.This meet has to conclude as per schedule and DSA cannot afford to miss or extend the date as it has to submit a list of swimmers who will be participating in the Senior Nationals in Bangalore. The last date for submitting names by state associations is August 23.With little time at disposal, the meet may be a farce as the authorities will not be in a position to fix the electronic touch-pads as they need a minimum of five days to get charged. This would, in effect mean, the DSA officials will have to do with hand-timing. That is, if the meet goes on per schedule.
