Those residing in the New Delhi Municipal Council areas will soon have to cough up more for booking the newly renovated Barat Ghars run by the civic body.
The new proposed rates if approved by the civic body at its next meeting scheduled for Wednesday would apply to the upgraded Barat Ghars at Moti Bagh, Lodhi Road and Netaji Nagar that have been renovated at a cost of Rs.6 crore, Rs.3.10 crore and Rs.2.60 crore respectively.
While the rate for holding a social function at each of these Barat Ghars before up-gradation was Rs. 4,382 but now keeping in view the area, covered space available in the building and the amenities provided including air-conditioning during summers and heating in winters, the new proposed rates for the Moti Bagh, Lodhi Road and Netaji Nagar Barat Ghars have been pegged at Rs.40,000, Rs.25,000 and Rs.20,000 respectively exclusive of taxes.
In addition to user charges, the residents would also have to pay a refundable security deposit amounting to 50 per cent of the user charge for booking any of these Barat Ghars. Electricity consumption charges would also have to be footed separately at rates fixed by the civic body.
For events other than social functions such as commercial functions the user chargers have been proposed to be 2.5 times of the rate for social functions. This comes to Rs.1 lakh for Moti Bagh Barat Ghar, Rs.62,500 for Lodhi Road Barat Ghar and Rs.50,000 for Netaji Nagar Barat Ghar.
These rates once fixed would be valid till March 31, 2012, after which they would be renewed after a proper review of various factors including demand for a particular Barat Ghar, cost of maintenance and emoluments of the employees.
An NDMC member said: “While new facilities have been added the new rates are about 35 to 80 per cent higher than the old rates and we hope that these are eventually revised by the Council at the next meeting to be fixed lower than the proposed rates.”
Looking to the needs of the public and the ban imposed by the courts on use of parks for the functions in NDMC area, it was decided by the NDMC to renovate these Barat Ghars and upgrade them with the latest amenities required in such a way that there should be minimum requirement for providing furnishing and tent facilities by the users. The first Barat Ghar to be renovated was the Kaka Nagar one.
Meanwhile, the up-gradation of several other NDMC Barat Ghars is also under way.
