Chandigarh Club to sign lease deed

Ramkrishan Upadhyay

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Tribune news service

Chandigarh, October 26

The executive committee of the Chandigarh Club has agreed to the terms of the conditions fixed by the UT Administration and decided to sign the lease deed.

The committee took the decision after the Administration rejected the representations of the club for giving relaxations on certain issues. The club had asked the Administration to let it pay dues of more than Rs 5 crore in installments and nominate officers to the executive body by posts.

The Administration had approved the lease money of Rs 97 lakh per year on the recommendation of a high-power committee headed by Finance Secretary Ajoy Kumar Sinha, which had held discussions with the club management before fixing the rate. The club is presently paying around Rs 1.78 lakh per month as lease money to the Administration.

The lease of the club, which has 8,000 members, had expired in 2010 and it will have to deposit the arrears of the enhanced lease since then.

The Administration has also proposed an annual increase of five per cent in the lease money.

The club has been directed to scrap the sub-lease of the premises, if any.

The lease deed gives the Finance Secretary, UT, the power to veto the decisions of the managing committee of the club in matters related to the use of premises. Further, the Administration has been given the right to nominate three officials, including the Finance Secretary, to the managing committee.

The Administration has asked the club to review its constitution to bring more transparency and greater participation in its functioning. Besides, the club management has been told that the tenure of the club management should not be more than two terms. The UT has also asked the club management to limit the membership of the club.

Mukesh Bassi, former president of the club and a member of the committee formed by the Administration to discuss the lease, said, “We have agreed to the terms and conditions and the members will be informed shortly. The new lease deed will be signed soon.”