Our land,yet not allowed to inspect American Center: civic leaders

The original agreement expired December 4,2000 and a proposal was tabled for renewal,but it was kept on hold in the absence of a policy for sub-lease. Such a policy was approved in 2003,paving the way for the American Center to access the land for 30 years,or till December 4,2030. The dues would be Rs 8.44 lakh for the first decade,Rs 9.29 lakh for the second and Rs 10.21 lakh for the third.

The payment for the first decade has not yet been made as the sub-lease has not been formalised. It was to finalise the agreement that a civic team sought to visit the Center on November 5 and then again on November 18,but the members were turned down both times. On November 17,the Center allegedly wrote to the BMC that “the inspection cannot be allowed due to security reasons”.

“It is necessary to check if the land is being used in its original condition or if any changes have been made. We were surprised by their refusal,” said BMC committee member Manoj Kotak,who has written to the estate department,calling the denial of permission an insult.

“The BMC is the owner and custodian of the land. How can the American Center deny access to us on our land,in our city and our country? They haven’t even paid us the dues for the nine years they have used the land,” said Kotak. He said the administration should reconsider the approval of the agreement.

The proposal for the lease renewal will be discussed again on Monday in the improvement committee and members said the insult will ensure that the approval is widely opposed.

An American Center spokesperson said she had “not personally seen” the letter the BMC committee member was citing as denial of permission. “We have an excellent working relationship with the BMC,and look forward to continuing it,” she e-mailed to Newsline.