MUMBAI: Brihanmumbai Lalit Kala Pratishthan (BLKP), which runs the BMC’s Andheri Sports Complex and Mulund’s Kalidas Natya Mandir, has sought a Rs 25 crore interest-free loan from the BMC as it has no money left to even pay its staff and bills or for the upkeep of its two properties.
Andheri Sports Complex and Kalidas Auditorium Complex are two of the BMC’s biggest sporting and cultural premises.
"Andheri Sports Complex and Mulund’s Kalidas Natya Mandir are two of the biggest and most popular BMC-run sporting and cultural hubs. It is alarming that BLKP which runs both is left with no money to even pay staff and maintain the spaces. The BMC must provide it with funds. At the same time, the BMC must review BLKP’s finances and take action against irregularities and mismanagement. The trust must become self-sustainable.-TimesView"
“The BLKP trust has hardly any money left to pay salaries to the staff. We have been making payments for water and electricity bills for the past 18 months. But due to the Covid-19 lockdown, the trust has had no income since there are no events or sports taking place. We have asked for a Rs 25 crore interest-free loan from the BMC so we can meet the basic expenses,” said Devendra Jain, a former assistant municipal commissioner, now an administrator of BLKP.
Jain said BLKP had some money in fixed deposits (FDs) but they had already exhausted these to make payments over the past two years. “We have been making a token salary payment of just Rs 10,000 per month to the staff to save funds. But to meet the expenses in the future, we have asked the BMC to give the trust a loan,” Jain said.
BMC officials said municipal commissioner Iqbal Chahal would hold a meeting on the BLKP request later this week. BLKP is a BMC trust that runs civic facilities at Mulund’s Kalidas Natya Mandir and Andheri Sports Complex. BLKP has been controlled by Shiv Sena for years and was led by Sena leader Aadesh Bandekar as managing trustee till recently.
The BJP has alleged irregularities in the trust’s management. “The trust has given out leases for commercial units for 15 years instead of one or two years. The probe report of the 2017 enquiry was never made public and no connective steps taken,” said BJP corporator Prakash Gangadhare. Following a Bombay high court order, the then civic chief Ajoy Mehta had ordered an inquiry into the functioning of the trust in 2017. The trust has the mayor, opposition leader, municipal commissioner, additional commissioner and other civic officers on the board.
