Chandigarh Administration ‘terminates’ lease with tennis body

The UT Administration has reportedly terminated the lease agreement with the Chandigarh Lawn Tennis Association (CLTA) for the management of the Sector 10 Sports Complex. Now, the UT Sports Department will manage the complex.

Confirming the development, highly placed sources privy to the matter said the decision was taken after examining various complaints received against the CLTA. The complaints were mainly about non-compliance of the agreement.

“Recently, a matter of a shop inside the CLTA complex having been sublet without the knowledge of the Administration had come to the fore. Questions were also raised over the Chandigarh Academy for Rural Tennis programme being run from the complex and there were some other issues,” said an official of the UT Administration.

In May this year, the Sports Department had sent a notice to the CLTA over subletting of a tuck shop inside the complex without taking a prior approval. “The association response to the notice was not found to be satisfactory,” claimed the official.

CLTA president Viswajeet Khanna refused to comment on the issue, while the CEO remained unavailable till the filing of the report.

The CLTA office-bearers include former and serving IAS and IPS officers.

The association was the first sports body to have signed a lease with the UT. From January 16, 1997, to January 15, 2017, the CLTA paid a lease amount of Rs 100 per year.

When questions were raised over a nominal lease amount for a period of 20 years, the UT Administration renewed the annual lease to Rs 1,22,585 for the period from January 15, 2017, to September 10, 2022. In 2022, a three-year lease was signed for annual charges of nearly Rs 1.56 lakh.

The CLTA exercised full authority over the complex even as it was a government property. The Sports Department website even had no mention of the Sector 10 facility unlike other sports complexes in the UT.

As per the first lease contract signed in 1997, the Chandigarh Administration provided the Sector 10 lawn tennis complex to the CLTA for 20 years. The land was provided at the annual charges of Rs 100 (excluding taxes) paid to the UT Estate Office with payments of electricity and water bills. The lease deed barred the CLTA from making any alteration to the premises without the permission of the UT Administration. It was not allowed to sublet the premises or any other part to any other agency or person. Besides, there were other terms and conditions.