PCB to inspect Turf Club stables afresh

Last month,the PCB discussed the matter and decided that the engineering wing of the board will carry out an inspection of the club property to find if there are any fresh violations.

Cantonment executive engineer K V Shirodkar said the inspection will be carried out shortly in collaboration with the officials from Defence Estate Office (DEO).

As per official documents available with The Indian Express,the building plans for the erection of 400 stables were sanctioned by the cantonment board in 1993 but during the execution of work deviations were noticed by the board following which it issued a notice to the RWITC to stop the work. The deviation was of the nature of change in the orientation of the stables. However,responding to the notice,the turf club had submitted a composition plan for the regularisation,based on which the cantonment board decided to compound the unauthorised construction at 10 per cent of its cost.

After the appeals at different forums,the RWITC recently issued a cheque of nearly Rs 19.45 lakh to the cantonment board as composition fee for the regularisation of unauthoised construction. However,after the matter was taken up in the board meeting,the cantonment members sought an inspection due to which the issue was kept pending.

RWITC Estate Officer,B N Nanjapa,said the club wants the issue to be resolved and has agreed to pay the penalty. “We have issued the cheque to pay the penalty,though we have not done anything wrong and there is only a technical aberration.”

However,earlier the the turf club had objected to the payment of composition fee with the club seeking the quantum of composition fee be reconsidered as the violation was only in the nature of change of orientation. However,the turf club has now agreed to pay the money even as an appeal filed by it before the Defence Secretary is pending for the last seven years.

Turf club officials however said there was no need for fresh inspection as they are ready to pay the money. “We have not changed anything since 1993 and even the area of the stables has not been increased. The violation was only this much that we have changed the direction of the entrance of stables,” said an official.