Panel for five-time hike in Chandigarh Club lease rent

Chandigarh, November 20

A committee headed by UT Finance Secretary Ajoy Kumar Sinha has recommended a five-time increase in the lease money of the Chandigarh Club. The club is at present paying around 1.78 lakh per month as lease rent to the Administration.

The committee has proposed to increase the rent to around Rs 9 lakh per month. The new rates have been proposed after the Administration carried out a joint survey of the land under the occupation of the management. The Administration had formed a committee under the chairmanship of Finance Secretary Ajoy Kumar Sinha to revise the lease deed of the club, which expired in 2010. Besides the Deputy Commissioner and the Additional Secretary (Estate Office), Sandeep Sahni, president of the Chandigarh Club, and Mukesh Bassi, former president, are members of the committee.

The issue for fixing the lease deed has been pending for seven years.

Sources said besides proposing an increase in the rent, the committee had also asked the club management to immediately vacate the area encroached upon by it. The committee has asked the club not to increase the membership further without approval of the Administration. The sources said the recommendation had been made keeping in view of the burden on the existing infrastructure. The club has also been directed to scrap the sub-lease of the premises,  if any,  without a delay.

Mukesh Bassi, former president of the club, said they had been requesting the Administration for only a reasonable increase in the rates as the club was doing social service. The sources said the committee had recommended to levy the arrears since 2015.  The club has around 8,000 members. — TNS