Indian
Express: Ludhiana: Monday, 02 March 2015.
A high-end
entertainment club in the city, Lodhi Club, with over 3,000 members and
membership fee running into lakhs, never got its building map approved from the
Ludhiana Municipal Corporation, and for years it has also failed to pay the
pending amount of almost Rs 34 lakh.
This was
accepted by the Ludhiana MC and Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) in its written
reply to an RTI application which was filed by two city residents.
Further, an
astonishing fact which has come to light is that the land in posh locality of
I-block of BRS Nagar, where the club building stands, was not allotted to Lodhi
Club. It was allotted to Ludhiana Aviation Club which was to be built by Civil
Aerodrome, Sahnewal (domestic airport of Ludhiana) and it was further leased to
Lodhi Club.
A copy of the
notice issued by the Ludhiana Improvement Trust, dated June 5, 2006, to Civil
Aerodrome, says that in May 1987 a piece of land measuring 12,507 square yards
in BRS Nagar was allotted for construction of Ludhiana Aviation Club. The LIT
states that it is a complete violation of lease agreement that the aviation
club never came up and the land was used to build an entertainment club, and
the change of land use was done without any permission from LIT.
The notice,
accessed by Newsline, told Civil Aerodrome to file a reply within 15 days and
also pay the pending amount of allotment fee of Rs 14.33 lakh.
The deputy
commissioner of Ludhiana in his ex-officio capacity is the president of Lodhi
Club.
Now in its
RTI reply to city residents Arvind Sharma and Gagandeep Singh, MC and LIT have
accepted that the land was allotted for Civil Aviation Club at the rate of Rs
65 per square yard in 1987 and till date the club has failed to pay the pending
sum of Rs 34 lakh which includes pending allotment sum, enhancement fund and
penalties imposed for years.
MC and LIT
state that (all documents with Newsline) that till date there is no copy of the
approved map of the club building available with MC or LIT and the map was
never passed. For common people, it is mandatory to get maps approved from the
civic body before carrying out any construction. The club also never took any
water or sewage connection from the MC and is only paying Rs 1,500 per month as
disposable charges, says MC reply.
“The club is
also encroaching on green belt of MC and getting vehicles parked there.
Hoardings of shops are being removed as per new advertising policy but a huge
hoarding promoting liquor in front of club has not been touched. MC has said
that it never gave any permission to the club to install large hoarding,” said
Sharma, who filed the RTI application.
Deputy
Commissioner Rajat Aggarwal, when contacted, said, “Lodhi Club is an old
building in the city and it is not appropriate to comment on this legal issue.
If they have not paid dues, MC should take action and recover the amount.”
The
applicants had also asked the MC about the efforts made till date to recover
the amount and employees given the responsibility but it did not reply to the
query.
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