Club Members React to Withdrawal of Concessional Liquor Facility on Sundays for Seniors in Club Bar!
VK Chawla (H.no.303) wrote: ‘I understand that the 3-day facility we Seniors had in the Club has now been reduced to 2 days! Is this a sign that other facilities for Seniors are to be withdrawn also?
Whereas we are delighted that the Club is making excellent profits, such facilities for seniors will surely make only a minor dent in the balance-sheet of the Club – perhaps a fraction of a percent! Surely the main purpose of the Club is not commercial as its very existence is because of us residents and members! The Club management is requested to kindly reinstate this facility for Seniors.’
Swarn Lata also thought that it is a regressive step which should kindly be reinstated with immediate effect.
However, Col Pratap thought otherwise: ‘This is a good step. Charity through liquor must stop. Since it’s not for all seniors and is embarrassing at times.’
Another resident member said, ‘Sundays may please be re-instated at the earliest. In fact, the discount to seniors should be on all 7 days. All over the world, seniors are looked at with great care and love. This is a small gesture from the management which we all appreciate.’
Swarn Lata added: ‘We don’t desire to live on charity but giving senior citizens some concessions is a practice adopted by so many countries – it’s a gesture of respect!!’
Past Secretary Sanjeev Sareen says: ‘It’s important to clarify that the senior citizen discount is given not only on liquor but on other club facilities too.
‘This discount was given with an intent to encourage our Seniors to use the Club facilities more often.
‘It’s important to note that liquor discounts were offered from the discounts offered by the liquor companies on enhanced sale of alcohol and were not being subsidised by anyone.
‘With better management and strong internal control, post covid the Club made substantial profits from its operations and now it’s payback time for its members. Just as all companies give dividends to its shareholders based on better performance and profitability, so too should the Club give back to its shareholders, viz, its members.
‘The CMC has to ensure that with better management there should be continuity of profits from Club operations and in the next stage we should look at reducing monthly rentals from the caterer and ask him to proportionally reduce the selling price of basic food items like Roti-Naan, Dal, rice, etc. which are consumed by all.
‘It’s important to strongly discourage the recent practice of incurring huge loss from cultural events as that makes a huge dent into the Club’s operational profits.
‘Cultural events should recover their costs through sponsorship to a great extent, as has been shown in earlier years and as was reflected in the audited accounts.
‘Cultural events are attended by not more than 20% -30% of Members and the loss incurred has to be shared by all, a fact which has been overlooked by Members participating in this discussion.
‘We can always reduce discounts if the Club is making a loss and is in need of funds at any stage, but this should not arise from lack of good management and wise leadership.
‘The discount from liquor companies should continue to be passed on to Senior citizens.’
