Civic authorities from Maharashtra’s popular hill station Mahabaleshwar have asked a local club to shut down its golf course, after a video of industrialist Anil Ambani taking a walk on it went viral on social media.
Mahabaleshwar Municipal Council (MMC) chief executive officer issued a notice to ‘The Club’ management which manages the sprawling golf course ground, where industrialist Anil Ambani and wife Tina were taking regular walks during lockdown, the purported video showed.
The notice issued by the Mahabaleshwar council chief officer Pallavi Patil warned of action under the disaster management act, Indian Penal Code (IPC), and epidemic diseases act if the establishment does not bar people from coming there for morning or evening walks during the ongoing restrictions.
The Ambani family did not issue a statement while an email sent to Anil Ambani did not receive any response till the time of going to press
The ground was also being frequented by other walkers despite restrictions imposed by local authorities. The CEO issued the order after he received “confirmed” and “verified” reports that Ambanis were taking a walk during the lockdown at Golf course grounds. The notice stated that penal action will be initiated against the club for Covid-19 violations. Following the notice, the club authorities locked up the ground.
The hill town of Mahabaleshwar is quite popular and the 11-hole golf course from the British era, is set amidst a forest and is a serene spot amid the hustle and bustle of the iconic hill station, a resident said.
{{/usCountry}}The hill town of Mahabaleshwar is quite popular and the 11-hole golf course from the British era, is set amidst a forest and is a serene spot amid the hustle and bustle of the iconic hill station, a resident said.
{{/usCountry}}In her notice, CEO Pallavi Patil stated: “It is brought to your notice that lockdown and curfew has been imposed as per the orders of the state government. The ground is frequented by evening walkers, and you are hereby directed to close it for public. In case of failure of compliance, action will be taken under section 51 to 60 of Disaster Management Act 2005 and section 188 of the Epidemic Diseases Act, 2897 and certain sections of the Indian Penal Code 1860.”
Ambani was a regular at the Golf grounds in Mahabaleshwar and the news spread like wildfire in the town.
According to Patil, walkers from elsewhere had also started visiting the ground where some prominent people took a walk.
“We verified and issued a notice to the club that it was in violation of Covid-19 restrictions. Now, the club has locked the ground and all activities have been stopped,” she said.