The Cubbon Park Walkers Association has asked the Karnataka government not to renew the lease of 2.6 acres inside Bengaluru’s Cubbon Park to the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association, alleging that the organisation has violated lease conditions and is operating more like a club and bar than a sports facility.
In a letter to the state government, the walkers’ association said the 25-year lease had expired on August 23. It also said the tennis association had applied to the government for renewal and urged Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar not to approve the request.
The dispute places the use of a small but publicly significant parcel within Cubbon Park at the centre of a wider question over how land inside urban green spaces is leased and monitored. The walkers’ association has argued that the facility’s current activities do not conform to the purpose for which the land was granted.
According to the allegations cited in the letter, politicians and government officials are among the tennis association’s members. The association also claimed that the organisation collects membership fees running into lakhs of rupees while paying the government only ₹20,000 annually.
These claims were made by the Cubbon Park Walkers Association and have not been independently established in the supplied report. The report also does not include a response from the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association or details of any government decision on the renewal application.
S. Umesh, president of the walkers’ association, asked the state government and the chief minister to honour assurances given during a visit to Cubbon Park to take all necessary steps to protect its green areas. The government’s decision on the renewal application will determine whether the existing lease is extended or whether the use of the 2.6-acre site is reviewed.
