Centre's move to take over Delhi Gymkhana Club very sad, says Capt Seshadri

The Centre's move to take over the Delhi Gymkhana Club for ''strengthening and securing defence infrastructure'' was a very sad thing to happen, Madras Gymkhana Club president Capt S Seshadri said here on Saturday.

Though the Madras Gymkhana Club had no connection with the Delhi Gymkhana Club except its affiliation, ''on a personal note, it's a very sad thing to happen to an institution of such stature - the kind of infrastructure, the swimming pool, building and the beautiful architecture. I feel sad,'' Seshadri said.

The Centre has asked Gymkhana Club in Lutyens' Delhi to hand over the premises by June 5, citing that the 27.3-acre plot was required for ''strengthening and securing defence infrastructure''.

''I understand that there has been some issue quite for some time and that the Central government has been eyeing to take over. I am not very sure what the current situation is, but some say probably the lease might have expired,'' Seshadri told PTI.

As of now, it was not very clear what they intend to do there. Why do they talk about defence infrastructure and how the club premises would be used to strengthen it. ''They have to assign some reason. You can't say I will come and take the property and go away. The club will probably have no other recourse but to go to court and get a stay. Only time will tell whether the judge will grant a stay or not,'' he said.

''I am not going to say it's fair or not fair. It's beyond my capacity to say that. But I feel sad,'' he said when asked about his reaction to the development in Delhi.

The club has its own committees and central government officers who were part of the administrative process. It was up to them to decide the course of action to be taken, he said in reply to a specific question.

''I don't know about the composition of that club. It is an entity that belongs to the members. So, what will happen to the assets and how they will resolve it, is something only time will tell. Whether they will appoint an officer to discharge the assets, distribute the amount, is something we don't know. It's only speculation right now,'' he said.

Seshadri further said, ''Except that we are affiliated to the Delhi Gymkhana - which means our members can use their facilities and vice versa - we don't have any connection beyond that. We are affiliated with 90-odd cubs across the world.''.

The order, issued by the Land & Development Office (L&DO) under the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry, stated that the premises, located in a highly sensitive and strategic area of Delhi, is critically required for the strengthening and securing of defence infrastructure and other vital public security purposes.

The sprawling Delhi Gymkhana Club is adjacent to the prime minister's residence on Lok Kalyan Marg.

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