Mumbai: The government recently issued notices to plots whose lease has expired, asking them to renew the same as per the New Lease Act. Among the lessees is Bombay Gymkhana, which is willing to renew the lease as per the original area. A part of the gymkhana land is proposed for road widening under the new Development Plan 2034. The lease will thus be revised.
According to government officials, gymkhana members are not keen on the same. The land may get sealed by officials if renewal is not carried out soon, the collector’s office has warned gymkhana members
An area measuring 3000 sq m, including the manager’s bungalow, tennis lawn and some trees will be lost to road widening. “If there is a public project, the government has to allot land for it. We have authority over the land once the lease is over. But the gymkhana is not ready to give the land,” said Shivaji Jhondhale, city collector.
The widening on Hazarimal Somani Marg, which leads to CST, has been proposed to reduce traffic congestion. When contacted, a spokesperson from Bombay Gymkhana said, “The lease renewal of all other clubs is pending, so we have not renewed it as yet. We are waiting for the draft of the lease renewal
policy.”
But the state may not wait too long for the renewal and may initiate action by sealing the property. There are 1,300 plots that fall under the lease policy, of which, the lease of 600 is over. They fall under the 99-year lease period, and the lease of most has got over in 2012.
