Bengaluru: Golf Club keeps land. VIPs get memberships?

The state government, till recently determined to evict the Bangalore Golf Club, suddenly decided last month to extend its lease by 30 years.

Several politicians and bureaucrats are now reaping the benefits of that U-turn, with out-of-turn memberships coming their way.

In an order dated March 6, just weeks before the model election code of conduct kicked in, the government announced the extension, making a surprise departure from its earlier stand that the club would have to up and go since its 50-year lease had expired in 2021.

The change came, insiders allege, after the club generously offered permanent memberships to ‘certain individuals’ who will jump a long queue, and save 15 to 20 years in the process. A brazen quid pro quo is at work, they told DH.

A club document says these influential members, some of whose names remain confidential, are expected to contribute to the “smooth functioning of the club.”

Golf Club Captain A C Suresh Chandra and Secretary D N Vasanth Kumar did not respond to phone calls and text messages seeking their comment.

Papers reviewed by DH show that the government has extended the lease for 59 acres and 18 guntas, the full extent of land where the club is functional, till 2051.

The land abuts Kumara Krupa Road and Sankey Road, and is located a short distance from Vidhana Soudha. The government has fixed the annual rent at 2 per cent of the club’s gross income. It will also collect a 10 per cent cess retrospectively from 2013-14.

The order mandates the club to include a government nominee (of the rank of additional chief secretary or principal secretary or secretary of the Public Works Department) on its managing committee.

It says the memberships are intended to ensure that “no illegal activities” take place in the club. But such a change in membership rules, however, requires an amendment to the club’s bylaws.

Interestingly, the order came barely three months after the government slapped eviction notices and cancelled the club’s liquor licence.

In 2022, the Public Accounts Committee of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly had also recommended that the club be moved out.

Backdoor entry

Insiders suspect MLAs and IAS officers are getting a backdoor entry to the club. Membership to the prestigious club is mostly restricted to golfers.

This decision came at a time when over 5,000 applicants under various categories are still on the waiting list. Professional golfers such as Aditi Ashok, C Muniyappa, S Chikkarangappa and C Dharma, who have made India proud, were not given out of turn membership as offered to certain VIPs.

The current waiting period, determined by domicile and golfing experience, is between 15 and
25 years.

Some members are objecting to the agenda, saying out-of-turn memberships could open the door for corruption and invite arm-twisting by future governments.

“It sets the wrong precedent because every new government will misuse the new norm,” a member said, requesting anonymity.