BENGALURU: The state government has rented out prime land to a club on Infantry Road for an unbelievable Rs 10 a month.
The Ladies Club on Infantry Road has been paying just Rs 120 a year, the price of a cup of tea in premium restaurants in the area, since 1968. A club membership costs Rs 1.5 lakh today, and it is not easily available either.Documents obtained under the Right to Information Act show that the agreement is valid for 50 years, till 2018.
The club occupies 1,697.75 sq m, and the space would easily fetch several lakh a month just by way of rent.
The government has been similarly generous to two other clubs. The Golf Club, with a gate on Palace Road, boasts an undulating course stretching all the way till the Windsor Manor. It pays just pays Rs 25,000, or Rs 417 an acre for a whole year.
The Karnataka State Cricket Association (Chinnaswamy stadium), busy hosting IPL matches this season, pays Rs 19,000 a year, or less than Rs 1,600 a month. All three clubs are within walking distance of the Vidhana Soudha, the state secretariat.
At the Golf Club
In 1987, the state government gave 60 acres to the Golf Club. The agreement expires in 2021. A membership here costs Rs 14 lakh. For IAS and IPS officers, however, it is just Rs 15,000 a year. The government has handed over 17 acres to the KSCA for 99 years, or till 2067. A membership at the KSCA Club costs Rs 10 lakh. Last year, it was Rs 5 lakh.
RTI activist Marilingegowda Mali Patil, who has dug out the details, told Express, “The government must look at renewing the agreements at current market rates. None of these clubs does any social work. They are commercial in orientation, and are earning crores.”
How Much They Pay
Ladies Club, 18,278 sq ft: Rs 10
KSCA, Chinnaswamy Stadium, 17 acres: Rs 1,600
Golf Club, 60 acres: Rs 2,100(Monthly rent; all clubs within walking distance of Vidhana Soudha)
How Much You Pay
Ladies Club: Rs 1.5 lakh
KSCA Club: Rs 10 lakh
Golf Club: Rs 14 lakh (Membership fee, if they let you in, that is!)