Anomalies found in membership of Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry

When Karsanbhai Patel, chairman of the high-powered committee of the Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), said that he would "clear up the bogus membership of the GCCI issue," he apparently meant every word he said.

For, on Tuesday, reliable sources told DNA that anomalies had been found out in the GCCI memberships matter and as many as 350 of the 1,000-odd applications received for membership, had been returned as they did not have the required verification of their businesses, like firm registration, PAN number and so on. In short, they did not exist.

Also, more than 500 applications which were without proof/evidence, have been sent back with the notice: "You are given one week in which to submit the required papers or we won't accept your application."

Now, scrutiny is on of the existing 3,500 plus members of the premier organisation of industries in the state. The issue of bogus membership has been going on for a long time.