The CAG has slammed the ministry of defence for allowing use of military land for golf courses, parks, clubs, schools and other commercial activities.
The comptroller and auditor general (CAG) has slammed the ministry of defence (MoD) for allowing use of military land for golf courses, parks, clubs, schools and other commercial activities. It said golf was an unauthorised activity in the army.
Tabling a hard-hitting report on defence land management in parliament on Friday, CAG took MoD to task for not framing rules governing golf courses, thereby allowing exploitation of such facilities.
It pointed out that 97 golf courses had been built on 8,076.94 acres of A-I land across cantonments in the country. This land was primarily meant for military use but golf courses and clubs were built on it to generate revenue by granting membership to civilians and renting it out for parties, marriages, etc, CAG said.
“Huge revenue is being earned without paying rent for use of government assets. Revenue generated is not credited to government account but presumably to regimental fund. Rs2.14 crore is to be recovered from various clubs,” the report said.
Deputy CAG Rekha Gupta said, “There is no problem with golf as a sport, but just that it’s not authorised. It should be legitimately authorised as a sport and they should bring it within the scales of accommodation, the same is [true] with army schools.” The report said 2,500 acres of defence land worth Rs11,033 crore was on lease for an annual rent of Rs2.13 crore, which is negligible given its market value. Some unauthorised occupations named by CAG are Army Wives Welfare Association in Kolkata, Delhi-based shopping complex Santushti managed by IAF, Pune Turf Club and Army Welfare Education Society.
MoD, the biggest landholder in the government with 17.31 lakh acres, had discontinued land audit in December 1992 at the behest of the army headquarters’ QMG branch.
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