DDCA pays a nominal licence fee of Rs 24.64 lakh per year for the Feroz Shah Kotla ground, which is just about 1.4 per cent of the presumptive fee of 16.74 crore per year if the value of the land is taken at commercial rates, the Central Information Commission has pointed out.
Refraining from passing an order declaring the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) a public authority under the RTI Act, the CIC agreed, however, that the cricketing body was receiving concessions on licence fee for the land which is of "material/of considerable value" and without which it would struggle to exist.
The matter relates to a plea by RTI activist Subhash Agrawal demanding action against DDCA for failing to respond to his queries under the transparency law.
He had contended that DDCA receives substantial indirect funding from the government in the form of various subsidies and that brings it under the RTI Act, which makes it liable to answer queries posed to it under that law.
DDCA is opposing calls that it be brought under the RTI Act, saying it does not get any funding from the government, which makes it different from the Indian Olympic Association, another sports body which has been brought under the RTI Act.
The Land and Development Office (LDO) had informed CIC that as per a renewal of licence in 2002 for 33 years, the licence fee was fixed at Rs 24.64 lakh by the Centre, which had shown no favours to DDCA.
CIC noted in its order that in response to its query regarding the difference between the commercial and institutional rates for land in Delhi, the Urban Development Ministry has said that during April 1, 1998, to January 31, 2000, the commercial rate was Rs 57,960 per sq.M while the institutional rate was Rs 2,174.52 sq.M in Zone -I.
The majority of the three-member Bench of the CIC noted that the total value of the land at the disposal of DDCA, spreading to over 14.28 acres, comes to Rs 334.94 crore, on which the lease rental per annum, as per the agreement, should be Rs 16.74 crore.
