- Employees of Delhi Gymkhana Club fear losing jobs after government's eviction notice
- The 27-acre club land falls in a sensitive zone needed for urgent governance needs
- About 500 staff, many with decades of service, worry about their families' future
Employees of the Delhi Gymkhana Club have voiced concerns over being left jobless after the government sent an eviction notice to the colonial-era institution. The May 22 order claims the 27 acres on which the club is built falls in a "highly sensitive and strategic zone" and that the government needs this land "critically… for urgent institutional and governance-related needs".
Union chief Nandan Negi said: "Employees have been calling continuously… asking where they will go. As soon as we got the news, staff were in shock… 'what will happen to our families'?"
The club - established in July 1913 as the Imperial Delhi Gymkhana Club ("Imperial" was dropped after Independence) - has over 5,600 members and roughly 500 staff, many of whom have worked there for decades and have families living in nearby slums and housing colonies.
"Many of us have worked here for over three decades… some have been working here for 15 years, some for 20. We do not know how we will support our families," one worker said.
"We want to ask the government… we are 500 employees and families. We didn't get any notice… they didn't tell us anything," another said. "They only came and told us the club will be shut down on June 5… we have been working here for the past 35-40 years."
In its order, the Land and Development Office - under the Housing Ministry - had said it requires the land on which the club stands for "strengthening and securing defence infrastructure".
It said the land had been leased for operating a social and sporting club but President Droupadi Murmu had exercised her powers to terminate the lease.
On May 25, the club wrote to the Land and Development Office seeking clarification on four points, including whether an "appropriately located alternate plot of land" will be allotted and seeking protection for the future of all employees and staff of the club.
In addition, the club's governing body has requested a meeting with the Land Development Officer regarding its concerns over the eviction order.
The 27.3-acre expanse is located at 2, Safdarjung Road, adjacent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence at Lok Kalyan Marg.
