Prime 18-acre land, facing Arabian Sea, catering to elite class: About NSCI

The NSCI stands on a prime 18-acre land facing the Arabian Sea in south Mumbai’s Worli. Originally owned by the BMC, the land was handed out to the club in 1953 for a 99-year lease to promote sporting events in Mumbai.

However, the club started catering to a handful of citizens, limiting its membership to the city’s elite.

But an audit by the Comptroller and Audit General (CAG) and Public Accounts Committee (PAC) revealed that 93.72% (194 out of 207) of events hosted at the facility between 2020 and 2025 were commercial functions rather than athletic activities – a breach of the 1993 lease agreement.

According to the notice issued to the NSCI administration, the BMC had carried out multiple site inspections at Worli where it found municipal land earmarked specifically for promoting sports and public athletic development was being used almost exclusively as an entertainment and revenue-generating venue.

“Clause 12 specifies that while the clubhouse is reserved for club members, the Olympic Oval Stadium must remain open to school children and registered sports organizations on non-event days. Additionally, the stadium must be made available for at least 15 special events annually for activities organized directly by the BMC or under the direction of the Municipal Commissioner,” the BMC’s notice states, highlighting that NSCI failed to produce any documentation proving that rules for public usage were ever submitted to or approved by the Municipal Commissioner, while the stadium was routinely blocked for commercial functions.

Furthermore, municipal queries found that NSCI owes pending property tax dues around Rs 61.5 crore. The BMC’s notice also states physical inspections conducted by the civic body’s estate department and ward officers, revealing extensive unauthorised structural alterations.

These violations include the construction of a 20-foot-high wall in the front open space of the Palace Hall and Ballroom to subdivide the plot for generator placement, an unapproved temple built within the premises, and site offices and storage godowns constructed directly touching the compound wall near Entrance D and T-3 gate.

Furthermore, two large areas marked on sanctioned architectural plans as “sports halls” were illegally converted into banquet venues serving food and alcohol, while an equipment storage room was transformed into a 200-seat multiplex movie hall operating without a Fire Department No-Objection Certificate (NOC) or an Urban Land Ceiling (ULC) clearance required for a full Occupation Certificate.