NDMC freezes Delhi Golf Club's bank account citing Rs 770 cr tax dues

A bank account of prestigious Delhi Golf Club, having capital’s most influential and powerful people as members, was on Wednesday frozen by New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) for failing to pay up property tax of a staggering Rs 769 crore.

Sources said the club’s account with RBL Bank has been frozen as it failed to respond to the latest notice by NDMC to clear the amount.

The bank froze the account (no 951154) following a communication from the civic body.

A top NDMC official told PTI that Delhi Golf Club (DGC) was served a notice in November last year to immediately clear the long-pending dues accumulated over a period of several years but it did not even respond to the communication.

“We have attached bank account of Delhi Golf Club today,” the official said.

No official of the club was available for comments on the issue.

The NDMC had asked the bank to attach and remit Rs 769.24 crore to it from the account of DGC, citing provisions in the NDMC Act, 1994 and by-laws made thereunder.

However, the bank informed the civic body that the DGC account did not have sufficient balance to remit the total amount demanded by it in the notice.

On Thursday, the bank informed the NDMC that it has frozen the account, said the official.

The DGC and the NDMC have been engaged in a legal battle over tax demands.

The DGC was under municipal body in the early 1930s and became a separate entity in 1950.

The 18 hole golf course hosts a number of PGTI (Professional Golf Tour of India) tournaments and Asian as well as European tour events.

PTI