Craig Emerson raised the issue of non-payment of dues to Australian companies for Commonwealth Games-related work with his Indian counterpart Anand Sharma on the sidelines of the Partnership Summit in Mumbai.
Australian trade minister Craig Emerson today raised the issue of non-payment of dues to Australian companies for Commonwealth Games-related work with his Indian counterpart Anand Sharma on the sidelines of the Partnership Summit in Mumbai.
The bilateral talks between the two ministers came on a day when embattled Suresh Kalmadi was sacked as the chairman of the Commonwealth Games organising committee (OC) in the interest of an impartial probe.
Kalmadi's close aid Lalit Bhanot was also removed as the secretary general of the OC with immediate effect.
The decision to remove the top two officials was taken by the new sports minister Ajay Maken, who has given a ten-day ultimatum to the government nominees in the organising committee to sort out the payment disputes regarding the Australian firms and ensure that all the legitimate bills are cleared.
Australia, had last week raised the issue with India of non-payment of bills to its companies, which claimed they were not paid for their work at last year's Delhi Games by the organising committee.
The payment issue also figured prominently during external affairs minister SM Krishna's bilateral meeting with his Australian counterpart Kevin Rudd last week, leaving the visiting Indian leader face an embarrassing situation.
Emerson arrived in the financial capital today to discuss bilateral trade and economic issues ahead of commerce and industry minister Anand Sharma's visit to Australia later this year for annual the joint ministerial commission trade talks.
Several Australian sporting bodies and event groups had claimed that they owed millions of dollars by the Delhi Commonwealth Games organisers.
Australian Commonwealth Games Association (ACGA) chief executive Perry Crosswhite had said his body was one of "30 or 40" similar Games bodies around the world that owed money by Delhi organisers.
"We're owed a travel subsidy payment in the six figures that was due in November," Crosswhite had said.
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