'Any Appropriately Located Alternate Plot?': Delhi Gymkhana Club Asks Centre

The elite Delhi Gymkhana Club has shot off a letter to the Land and Development Office (LDO) over the Centre's demand that the land parcel the club stands on be surrendered before June 5, seeking clarification on four broad points, including whether an "appropriately located alternate plot of land" will be allotted for relocation.

The exclusive club, where select diplomats, bureaucrats, military leaders and the national capital's elite and intelligentsia rub shoulders, noted in the letter that it serves around 14,000 members and users who have paid subscription and membership fees to utilise the facilities offered by it. It employs 500 people and hosts cultural and sporting events, it said, adding sudden action by the government would impact multiple stakeholders.

Delhi Gymkhana Club's Four Concerns

"The GC (The General Committee (GC) of the club) requests that you consider that there should be no dislocation of the club and its operations until there is clarity about some of the following issues," it said.

1. It asked the government if there was any plan in the pipeline of the L&DO/Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs on the allocation of a substitute plot of land for the club's relocation.
2. It asked the authorities to consider, before making any decision about the land parcel, that the club has invested large sums of money toward improving and enhancing infrastructure and facilities for the benefit of the members.
3. It beseeched the government to consider that any relocation of the club would entail rebuilding facilities and infrastructure at high cost.
4. In addition to the members and their interests, the future of all permanent and other employees and staff of the club needs to be protected, it added.

The club's governing body has requested a meeting with the Land Development Officer regarding its concerns over the land vacation order.

The 27.3-acre prime land parcel is located on 2, Safdarjung Road, adjacent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's house at Lok Kalyan Marg.

Also read: After 113 Years Of Power, Privilege, Eviction Notice For Delhi Gymkhana Club

Centre's Eviction Order

In its May 22 order, the Land and Development Office (L&DO) under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, seeking "re-entry and resumption", has said that the land falls in a highly sensitive and strategic zone and is critically required for urgent institutional and governance-related needs.

In its order, the government said it requires the land parcel for "strengthening and securing defence infrastructure".

It added that the land had been leased to the 'Imperial Delhi Gymkhana Club Ltd' for operating a social and sporting club, but the President of India has exercised powers to terminate the lease. The entire land parcel, including buildings, structures, and lawns, will be taken over by the government on June 5.

"Exercising those powers, the President of India, acting through the Land and Development Office, has determined the lease and ordered immediate re-entry of the property," the notice said.

The club was founded on July 3, 1913, as the Imperial Delhi Gymkhana Club. The word 'Imperial' was discarded after India gained independence in 1947.

BJP vs Congress

Congress leader Surendra Rajput said in a video that the land was being reclaimed to expand PM Modi's house.

 "How much space does the Prime Minister need to live in? The BJP-led government will have to explain this. The Prime Minister's residence already occupies such a large complex. Now, you also want to vacate the Gymkhana Club, citing security reasons. The BJP wants to erase all of our historical heritage. BJP leaders want to wipe out old symbols and our civilisations and replace them with their own fabricated narratives of civilisation," he told PTI.

BJP leader Amit Malviya dismissed the allegation and accused the Congress of "entitlement and hypocrisy".

"Sonia Gandhi, who occupies 10 Janpath spread across 15,181 square metres, larger than 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, at 14,101 square metres, has apparently sent a note to Surendar Rajput. It reads: " Sit down," he wrote on X.

"The entitlement and hypocrisy in the Congress ecosystem never cease to amaze," Malviya added.

Employees Worried 

The employees of the club are staring at a dark future and are protesting. They said that many long-serving staff, with 35-40 years of dedicated service, received no prior notice and now face displacement, housing insecurity, and an uncertain future for their families.

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/eSzH325