Noida International Golf Course members demand refund due to delay in project
The members said that the Noida authority missed multiple deadlines to complete the new Golf Course project in Sector 151 due to land disputes with farmers
Members of the Noida International Golf Course demanded that the Noida authority either refund their membership fees or allow them to use the old Golf Course in Sector 38A on weekends as well as more than five days in a month, officials aware of the matter said on Monday. The members said that the Noida authority missed multiple deadlines to complete the new Golf Course project in Sector 151 due to land disputes with farmers.
“We have decided to meet chief executive officer Lokesh M and all our representatives, including Noida MLA Pankaj Singh and MP Dr Mahesh Sharma, to demand justice because the Noida authority has failed to deliver the new Golf Course project in Sector 151 on time as promised. And now they promise to deliver it by the end of December 2023, but on the ground, it appears the authority will take two years to complete the project because the land dispute has not been resolved,” said Anoop Kumar, a member of the Noida International Golf Course project.
The authority has completed 43% of the project, with officials estimating that the remaining work will be completed by the end of 2024 if the current pace is maintained. So far, the authority has granted membership to 925 applicants who paid the fee in instalments and 209 members who have paid it in full.
“Because of the delay, the authority permitted us to use the old golf course in Sector 38A. However, they only allow us to use this facility for five days per month and only on working days, which is meaningless. Some members want a refund because they paid ₹10 lakh and have received nothing in return, and the authority is unsure when the project will be completed. We demand that the authority either expedite the work or refund the money with interest,” said another member, KP Singh.
The authority is constructing an 18-hole golf course in Sector 151A along the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway. The authority has already finished administrative and cafeteria structures and is now accelerating the landscaping process, which necessitates the closure of the old road that runs through the project.
In June 2021, the authority hired a private agency to develop the golf course, and this will be the second golf course developed by the government agency, following the establishment of the first 18-hole golf course in Sector 38A in the 1990s.
According to officials, the authority approved a tentative budget of ₹90 crore for developing the golf course at Sector 151A during its 198th board meeting in February 2020. The project includes a 90-acre golf course, a 20-acre adventure sports facility, and a 10-acre heliport.
According to officials, the general public will be required to pay a membership fee of ₹10 lakh (excluding taxes), while employees of the Uttar Pradesh government will be required to pay a fee of ₹4 lakh. According to the authority, government employees outside Uttar Pradesh must pay a membership fee of ₹6 lakh. For a corporate membership and Non-Resident Indians, the authority will charge around ₹15 lakh.
“The authority can refund the membership fee if any member requests it. We have offered them reciprocal service by allowing them to use the old golf course, and we will deliver the project on time,” said Shobha Kushwaha, manager of the Noida authority.