Delhi Gymkhana Workers' Association writes to PM over eviction threat, seek job security

New Delhi, July 16 (PTI) Delhi Gymkhana Workers' Association has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure jobs for around 700 employees of the club which is under threat of eviction over lease-related issues. In a letter to the prime minister on Wednesday, the association said all 700 employees, permanent and contractual, belong to middle- and lower-middle-class families and that the eviction notice has created fear and uncertainty among them. The association said many of the employees have been working at the club for more than a decade and are dependent on it for their livelihood. Several workers have loans to repay and have other financial liabilities, it said. The letter said many employees have spent a substantial part of their working lives at the club and any disruption to its functioning would push their families into financial hardship, affecting the education and well-being of their children. On June 29, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs' Land and Development Office (L&DO) issued a show-cause notice to the Delhi Gymkhana Club, asking it to explain why an eviction order should not be passed against it under the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971, over alleged violations of the lease deed. The notice came more than a month after the Centre informed the Delhi High Court on May 26 that it would not take forceful possession of the club's 27.3-acre premises by June 5. The Centre has contended that it needs the land for "strengthening and securing defence infrastructure." The high court has listed the matter for hearing on July 28, while the L&DO has fixed July 30 for a personal hearing before taking a final decision on the show-cause notice. PTI SHB VN VN