'Act against Bowring Institute, clubs' dress codes'

The 156-year-old Institute, an elite club in Bengaluru is at the centre of a controversy.

Bengaluru: A House Committee has recommended “appropriate action” against the 156-year-old  Bowring Institute, an elite club in Bengaluru, for taking up “illegal” construction.

The committee, headed by BJP MLC N Ravikumar, which was formed in 2020, tabled its report in the Legislative Council on Thursday. 

The panel also recommended to the government to shift the Bangalore Turf Club (BTC) and Golf Club to either Jakkur Aerodrome or Kunigal Stud Farm and convert the existing space into a ‘green lung space’ for public use. 

No club should impose restrictions on wearing traditional attire, the committee said, addressing a long-held grouse of lawmakers against some of Bengaluru’s elite institutions. “Not all, but there are some elite clubs which restrict wearing traditional attire like panche and slippers,” said Ravikumar.

The committee said that it visited various clubs in the state and studied their functioning and their activities and recommended to the government to frame an act to control the clubs legally.

“All clubs in the state should come under a law and there should be no provision for them to have their own rules. In such a case, the government must withdraw water, electricity and other facilities to such clubs, including liquor licence,” reads the recommendation.

In other recommendations, the committee said there must be government norms on fixing membership fees at clubs. And clubs that have obtained public land and other facilities must share 5-7% of their profits with the government.