Services Club plunged into Turmoil

New Delhi, June 20 (UNI) The popular haven for rest and recreation for Services officers posted in the capital, the Defence Services Officers Institute (DSOI) at Dhaula Kuan, is no longer a traditional oasis of calm and peace.

For long the place where Services officers -- and their families -- headed every evening to relax after a tiring day, DSOI is currently plunged into turmoil -- with a section of members levelling serious corruption charges against the Institute's Managing Committee.

DSOI supports a wide range of recreational facilities, including swimming, tennis, squash and billiards. Some of the tennis players have charged the DSOI Secretary and a former President with conspiring to demolish as many as seven tennis courts to make way for an ambitiously-large swimming pool.

DSOI has been the venue for several national-level grass court-tennis events -- and the tennis-playing members of the Institute assert that the ''fraudulent action'' of the Managing Committee sends ''a wrong signal'' extinguishing an upcoming and popular outdoor game at the prestigeous venue.

The members alleged DSOI Secretary Brigadier(Retd) R Dixit falsely certified that the tennis courts were situated on Army land whereas they actually lay on leased land.

Besides, erstwhile Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee -- and Navy Chief -- Admiral Arun Prakash, had also advised the DSOI Managing Committee against ''this unwise move'' in October last year.

DSOI is controlled by the Defence Services Officers Fund of which Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee is President.

The tennis players have filed a suit in the Delhi High Court where it is listed for hearing in August.

Subsequent to filing of the suit by the tennis-playing members of DSOI, the Defence Estates Department stopped execution of works to construct the swimming pool -- but the tennis courts remained abandoned.

UNI