New Delhi: The South Delhi Municipal Corporation's Standing Committee approved a proposal on Monday to change the category and rent of several community halls under its jurisdiction.
As many as 21 non-air conditioned community halls were shifted down by one category, effectively reducing their per-day rent and making them more affordable. Of these, 11 community halls were given permission to rent out their first and second floor as separate venues, hoping that such an arrangement would be profitable to both, the general public and the civic body. The proposal's draft mentioned that in case these changes have a positive result, more community halls might be considered for a similar treatment.
At present, SDMC has 97 community halls under its jurisdiction, out of which only 10 are air-conditioned. In a recent ruling, SDMC had decided to revise (reduce) booking rates of air-conditioned halls and made the AC facility optional. According to the occupancy details of SDMC-run community halls for the last three years, it was found that there are 21 non-AC community halls with less than 10 bookings in one year on average. Besides this, 11 such halls with a first or second floor venue, also had less than 10 bookings even though their ground floor venue was booked more than 10 times in the same time period.
Speaking about the issue, Councillors Shikha Rai and Narendra Chawla said that there are several cases where a community hall is situated within village limits, but due to being surrounded by posh localities, they have been put under 'category A', raising the rent to Rs 25,000 per day (with an additional Rs 10,000 security deposit to be paid upfront). Thus, making them unaffordable for the villagers who are the ones actually using the facility. Similarly, permitting larger community halls to rent out multiple floors as separate floors will
result in more revenue for the corporation and more affordability for residents, the councillors said.
Rai also gave the example of a community hall in Shahpur Jat village which has become unaffordable for local residents due to being listed in the 'A' category since it is near more affluent areas such as Panchsheel Park.
SDMC Commissioner Gyanesh Bharti said that the matter should be examined closely by a committee of Deputy Commissioners. Once the proposal is passed by the SDMC House, rents will drop by anywhere between Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000.