Deepankar Sharda
Chandigarh, November 9
The UT Sports Department has renewed the lease contract of the Chandigarh Lawn Tennis Association (CLTA) for three years. The previous five-year contract ended in September. Sources claimed the CLTA would pay a new lease amount of about Rs 4.70 lakh (approximately Rs 1.56 lakh per year) for using the existing prime location at Sector 10 for three years.
Last time, the complex was leased out to the association on an annual average rent of Rs 1, 22,585 for a period of five years and eight months, which ended on September 10. Previous to that, the CLTA had paid Rs 100 per year for 20 years for using the facility.
The CLTA is among a few local private sports associations that enjoy the UT Administration’s support by way of using government land at a throwaway fee for promoting sports. However, instead of following the rules of the department, the CLTA runs its operations as per its own constitution. It charges a fixed amount for coaching kids under various modules and also levies fee for court bookings as per the decisions of its management.
While the Sports Department has its own rules for running sports complexes in the city, the case is different when it comes to claiming the ownership and running operations at the CLTA complex. The department’s website doesn’t list this Sector 10 CLTA complex as one of its “sports facilities”.
Apart from increasing the lease amount, the other conditions of the contract are said to be unchanged. The department will make available the tennis stadium, comprising two main synthetic courts, four cemented courts, two clay courts, eight synthetic courts (practice), area were partial buildings are constructed, tensile mesh all around its extension and open area (others), to the CLTA, claimed sources. The lease amount will be paid to the UT Estate Office.
