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SPORTS: GOLF
The Babu 'Ban'
The club has not
only gone to court over the lease-cancellation matter but its officials
have also come up with cogent reasons for not absorbing any more babus
in its lush folds. Says Colonel (retd) S.K. Sharma, DGC's secretary, "According
to our constitution we are mandated to promote the game of golf. We want
to produce champions. The Government is fairly represented in the club.
Pushing in more officials may not be beneficial for the growth of the
game." Adds Ajit Kumar Sinha, DGC's counsel:
"The Government cannot amend, withdraw, or take away a
vested right in such manner. It is a settled law." And in a reminder,
the club says that the entire question of additional membership has been
unnecessarily linked to the "allotment and lease" of land to
the club.
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| IN A HOLE: For 50 years, the lease has been
extended as a matter of routine |
Till 1990, there was no government quota. When
the lease came up for renewal from January 1, 1991, the concept of preferential
treatment of babus crept in. A formal lease signed on August 5, 1996 (covering
the period January 1, 1991 to December 31, 2010), included a clause for
enrolling one in every five new voting members from the government. Besides
the bit about tenure, and non-tenure members was added.
But it is not possible for the DGC to accommodate
more babus. Its resources are already stretched. For instance, with almost
one lakh rounds being played each year, the DGC's main course is among
the most heavily used. This is against the normal annual figures worldwide
of 40,000-50,000 rounds on a standard golf course. The assault on the
turf is relentless, especially during the winter months. Even the Augusta
National Golf Club in Georgia, US, which hosts the prestigious Masters
tournament is in use for no more than six months a year. Given the pressure
on the main course at DGC, promising youngsters are forced to use the
nine-hole course. This is a retrograde step because winners are reared
on longer courses.
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BABUS DESIRE
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CLUB REPLIES
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One out of every three new members must
be a government servant.
The Delhi Golf Club needs to absorb 50 more tenure, non-tenure members.
All judges of the Supreme Court and Delhi
High Court, service chiefs, attorney-general, solicitor-general,
Union secretaries must be made members.
DGC should pay annual ground rent and
licence fees of about Rs 1 crore.
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The government is fairly represented in
the club. Nearly half the members are former or serving officials.
The move to cancel the lease is mala fide,
linked directly to the additional membership issue.
The club is mandated to promote golf,
encourage youngsters to play.
The greens are overused and maintenance
is difficult.
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The DGC has said in its petition that the Government
wants to arm-twist the club to increase the babu quota, hence the lease
cancellation of the 80-year-old course. Ever since the first one was signed
in February 1950, the lease has been extended as a matter of routine.
On its part, the court has asked the Additional Solicitor-General K.K.
Sud to ensure that the Government takes no coercive steps till the next
date of hearing, which is on July 31. The club is required to furnish
a list of members, including those who belong to the Government services.
If the one undeniable objective is to promote
golf and produce champions, then both the Government, in its role as lessor
of a premier golf course in the country, as well as the club and its manager
must ensure that the sight of youngsters swinging away under the blazing
sun gets more common. For, in the battle for membership, talent cannot
be allowed to drift into some obscure hole.
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