Contract row: Model Town Society, Club set for legal battle

Club management serves contempt of court notice on the Society.

LAHORE:

The Model Town Club has served a contempt of court notice on the Model Town Society for violation of a stay order by disconnecting electricity to the club.

The MTC had obtained the stay order after receiving last of the three legal notices served by the MTS requiring the club administration to remove a marquee from the premises. The MTS claimed that the marquee had been erected in violation of the lease agreement.

MTS president Colonel (r) Tahir Kardar told The Express Tribune that it was clearly mentioned in the lease agreement that the lessee (the MTC administration) could not make any additions to the premises.

The club administration was entitled to run two squash courts, three tennis courts, badminton courts and a swimming pool besides the lawns and buildings on the 25-kanal land leased out to them under an agreement signed between the MTS and MTC secretary Arif Salman Ropari in 1988.

Kardar said the agreement stated that the administration could only use the existing facilities and could not add more facilities to the premises. He added that the club management had violated Clause 6 and Clause 8(iv) of the lease agreement.

He said the administration was also prohibited from leasing out any of the facilities or services to a third party.

MTC secretary said setting up a marquee on the premises was in no way a violation of the lease agreement. He said the club administration had acted in accordance with the agreement. “It is within the premises. The club has not encroached upon a road or anyone else’s property,” he said. He said renting of club premises for marriage ceremonies and other events was not recent. “We have been renting space for marriage functions ever since we’re running the club. The marquee has been put up to protect people against rain, and unpleasant weather,” he said.

MTS opposition member Rana Mateen said it was hard to believe that the marquee had been set up without MTS management’s permission. He said the MTS had earlier condoned several irregularities by the club management. “No action was taken against the club for encroaching upon and using additional land,” he said. MTS president said 10-kanal land in addition to MTS lease was allotted to the club management by the district administration that ran the affairs of the housing society before 2002. He said the land was meant for the installation of a tube-well next to the swimming pool.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 17^th, 2011.