Sutlej Club: It is raining freebies for VIPs here!

Shivani Bhakoo

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Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, April 28

It is raining freebies for VIPs at the Sutlej Club as the club management has been going out of its way to oblige the influential – be it officers in the district administration, both civil and police, or kith and kin of the club executive members.

Sources in the club revealed that to avail the facilities in the club — be it sauna, steam or spa or badminton, swimming or gym, the members have to pay regular monthly fee in addition to the monthly subscription to avail the facilities. Thanks to those managing the club for long, who believe in “obliging” the influential and VIPs to establish a good rapport with the latter, they have been enjoying these facilities for free.

The club has always courted controversies and remained in news for wrong reasons. This time it is that the club office does not bother to send regular bills to those, availing such facilities for a long time now. Though monthly subscription bills are sent to all the members on regular basis but there are many, who avail gym facilities, steam and sauna facilities, games facilities etc. but they are never asked to pay for it, for reasons best known to the club management.

Sources in the club confided that among those enjoying the privilege of the “free of cost” facilities are the blue-eyed members of the club, certain officials in the district administration and their spouses, police officials and their wives, some members of the past/present executive team and their spouses etc.

If the club members are to be believed, after availing lot many facilities and paying nothing for these, some members even claim to be running for election to the coveted posts in the club management. They say the management has to be blamed for “deliberately” not adding the charges for these facilities being availed by the “privileged” in their monthly bills to oblige. And the club thus has been continuously losing revenue.

One of the members of the club, preferring anonymity, said swimming was going to start in the club in near future. “And club members get deprived to enjoy the facility for the simple reason that non-club members dominate the scene. There is no check on the entry of non-club members or even members who enjoy facility free of cost,” rued the member.

A club staffer said they had to go by instructions of the members of the Executive Committee. “If an office-bearer of the club asks not to get the regular register signed from particular person/persons, we cannot defy the instructions,” he said.

One of the oldest members of the club, Tejinder Singh Bakshi said there was a time in the 1960s when even the President of the club had to pay for everything. Then a resolution was passed in 1970s exempting the members from such payments. Now every influential person gets these facilities for free. “We have brought this to the notice of high-ups in AGMs, but to no avail,” said Bakshi.