Trees felled to make way for 18-hole golf course at NDA

Some of the NDA staff,civilian as well as those in the services,while confirming this also said they have been asked to pay a mandatory Golf Course deposit of Rs 3,000,besides a monthly subscription charge of Rs 300 irrespective of whether they play golf or not. Civilian staff are in particular disgruntled over the fee,said one of them on the condition of anonymity.

The trees were felled to extend the existing 12-hole course to an 18-hole international-standard one,they said.

One official said an 18-hole course is a luxury for a training institute like the NDA,where golf is not a compulsory discipline but an optional activity for cadets.

“It was a 12- hole golf course,but a few months ago they started extending it towards D-3,a residential area. We have been seeing numerous trees being cut down. Bulldozers and earthmovers have been at work and the ground was being levelled. In fact,we have been witnessing trucks filled with logs leaving the NDA campus,” said a staffer.

Some of them expressed their discontent saying the campus is home to rich flora and fauna of which the NDA often boasts in press releases.

Although any tender for preparation of the ground for the golf course could not be traced on the government’s official tender portal,the academy,however,was found to have floated two tenders for arboriculture (management and protection of individual trees). One was on a plot of over 2.02 lakh sq ft at Rs 26.71 lakh and the other on a 2.09-sq ft plot,at a cost of Rs 27.58 lakh.

While new defence establishments in the country have recognised golf courses,the older institutions categorise them under ‘training’ owing to the fact that there was no Government of India sanction for golf courses until about five years ago.

It has come light that extension of the golf course at NDA had been postponed by subsequent commandants as it is last on the priority list,given the budgets are primarily for cadet training infrastructure. Further,unlike the CME or the Southern Command,the NDA being a training institution is short of manpower and it is usual to float a tender for such construction works,said another staffer.

A retired estates officer of the academy said,“For purposes related to estates,the NDA comes under the purview of the Defence Estates Office,Southern Command. When we had cut trees for construction of walls during my tenure,clearances were obtained from the DEO. While the NDA may be planting many trees otherwise,permission for removal of trees is still mandatory.”

“I do not remember any such case being taken up with me,” said DEO G S Rajeswaran when this reporter,after learning about trees being allegedly felled for the golf course,contacted him over phone.

The resentment among NDA staff over the golf course seems to be the mandatory payment proposed. It was learnt from some of the staff that they were informed a few months ago about the “one-time payment and the monthly fee”,whether one plays the sport or not.

While civilian staff objected,services personnel who are bound by the Army Act were left with no option other than pay,said one of them,adding,“We do not play golf. Why should we pay?”

The NDA spokesperson refused to comment on the matter.