Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has advised the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to withdraw the circular related to a hike in fees of sports complexes, the Raj Niwas said on Tuesday. This came days after the DDA issued a circular on membership fees of sports clubs in the national capital.

In a post on the social media platform X, the Raj Niwas wrote, "Following representations from members of DDA sports complexes and public representatives, Hon'ble Lt Governor has advised DDA to withdraw the circular which increased membership and other fees in sports complexes. Khelega India tabhi toh Badhega India!"

Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva called the Lieutenant Governor’s move to roll back the increased sports complex fees ‘a special Diwali gift for millions of sports enthusiasts in Delhi’. “The rollback will particularly benefit children from lower-middle-class families who are involved in smaller sports like archery and athletics,” he asserted. South Delhi MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri also hailed the Lieutenant Governor’s move to roll back the hikes.

Earlier, a senior DDA official said the body introduced an option that would allow people to get memberships of all sports complexes through a single card. People can opt for membership to an individual complex also as in the past. The rate has also been revised, he had said. There are 17 sports complexes run by the DDA. Members have expressed strong discontent over the fee hikes.

As per the circular regarding hike in fees,  for government employees, the lifetime membership fee at the Siri Fort complex has skyrocketed to Rs 1.5 lakh, a significant jump from the previous fee of Rs 49,090. Meanwhile, fees for other complexes will now be set at Rs 1 lakh. Non-government employees will face even steeper increases, with the lifetime fee at Siri Fort rising to Rs 7 lakh from Rs 1,07,380, and fees for other complexes will now be pegged at Rs 3 lakh. In an effort to streamline access, the DDA is introducing a single membership card that allows entry to all sports complexes. However, non-government members wishing to take advantage of this option (excluding Siri Fort) will need to pay an annual fee of Rs 4.5 lakh.

Additionally, the circular specifies that a three-month swimming pool membership will cost Rs 10,000 at Siri Fort and Rs 7,000 at other complexes, noted TOI. Tenure memberships for five years are now set at Rs 1.5 lakh for Siri Fort and Rs 1 lakh for other complexes, while three-year memberships are priced at Rs 1 lakh and Rs 75,000, respectively.

For foreign citizens, fees are set at $7,500 for Siri Fort and $5,000 for other complexes. The revised policy has also eliminated categories for senior citizen, temporary, and associate memberships.