A battle has erupted for control over Little India, the beloved late-night Indian dining destination in Harris Park. A disagreement regarding the management of the key business group for the area has fractured the community and prompted the state government to investigate allegations that government funds allocated to the group were used to compensate an employee of the former president’s own business.
The Little India Harris Park Business Association, one of western Sydney’s most influential multicultural organizations, has been lauded by the state government as a nighttime trading success story for its role in shaping Harris Park into a culinary destination, brimming with street food vendors and late-night eateries. However, over the past six months, chaos has engulfed the association. Sanjay Deshwal, a visa and migration agent who has become the public face of Little India in mainstream media, was ousted as president at the group’s August annual general meeting. He was succeeded by board member Nitin Setia, who owns a local restaurant. Nitin reported allegations of “major issues” concerning the association’s “financial matters, irregularities in payments, and kickbacks in supplier invoicing”. Bank statements obtained by this publication also reveal that more than $63,000 was withdrawn from the association’s accounts in mostly monthly deductions labeled “salary” for a member of the association, who was previously employed by Deshwal’s migration agency, according to her LinkedIn profile. Little India has flourished as a popular nightlife district, but its local business association is embroiled in controversy. The Office of the 24-Hour Economy Commissioner Michael Rodrigues, confirmed he is investigating the utilization of grant money provided to the organization as part of its Uptown Grant Program, which offers funding to local business communities to create “unique going-out destinations”. The association had received at least $190,000 in funding from this body