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Decision came after the club failed to earn any profit since 2010
The Jammu and Kashmir government has decided to outsource the prestigious Royal Spring Golf Course (RSGC) in Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode.
The decision came after the club failed to earn any profit since 2010, according to sources.
“In the last twelve years, the club had spent ₹8874.66 lakhs as expenditure and earned only ₹1321.83 lacs in return,” according to the data revealed through an RTI that was filed by a Srinagar-based lawyer.
According to a letter from the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Development Corporation dated March 2, 2023, written to the Secretary of Royal Spring Golf Course Srinagar, the management of the golf course has been informed of the decision to outsource the golf course on a PPP mode.
“In this context, it is informed that some properties of JKTDC and the Directorate of Tourism Jammu and Kashmir are proposed to be outsourced on a PPP mode. Royal Spring Golf Course (RSGC) has also been included in the list of outsourcing,” reads the letter.
“Now therefore, to above you are requested to kindly provide the information enclosed in this letter for our further necessary action”, the letter, which is signed by the Managing Director, JKTDC, further reads.
Meanwhile, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti has castigated the government over the latest order on the Royal Spring Golf course.
“The sale of Royal Golf Spring is another example of how the government is developing this region post the August 5 decision. Everything has been put on sale. This is yet another step of selling our assets to non-local businesses,” she stated.
“Kashmir is the oldest golfing destination not just in South Asia but perhaps east of Suez. Kashmir’s golf clubs are the second oldest after Calcutta. Our golf clubs are not merely real estate, as GOI is treating the state, but an essential part of our identity and heritage,” she added.
“If the present administration finds the maintenance difficult because of its inherent inefficiency and agenda, it should focus on improving the organisation running golf courses and hire experts from anywhere,” she further stated.
Taking a further dig at the government, she added that whether Jammu or Kashmir selling golf courses is unacceptable, as we’ve witnessed that this outsourcing generally ends up in ownership.
“On the one hand, poor people are being hounded out of what has been theirs for generations and on the other, premier assets are up for sale,” she said.
The Royal Springs Golf Course is a picturesque golf course located in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir. The course was designed by the renowned American golf course architect Robert Trent Jones Jr. and opened for play in 2001.
Spread over an area of over 300 acres, the club has over 160 staff members who were recruited to maintain the golf course. Up until now, the club was mostly funded by grants provided by the government.
