Mumbai, May 1 (TOI): The Cricket Club of India (CCI), home to the hallowed Brabourne Stadium, has been issued notices by City Collector Ashwini Joshi for 'illegally' subleasing a part of its area to a petrol pump and a salon.

Three notices have been issued to the CCI (on November 5 and 16, 2016, and April 20, 2017) listing the alleged irregularities even as a club official said all allegations have been addressed, and there has been no illegality on the part of the club.

According to the notices, copies of which are available with this newspaper through RTI applications, the CCI not only subleased a portion of its premises to a BPCL petrol pump without permission, it had also not shared the earnings with the government. "There was no sanction for a petrol pump to come up here. Moreover, a salon has also come up illegally, close to the petrol pump," an official from the collectorate said.

The notices further mention illegal signboards put up by the club abutting its premises, temporary structures erected without permission, and illegal construction within the premises.

"All shops within the CCI complex must have a frontage area of 25 ft, which has not been complied with. There is an illegal 10ft x 10ft room near Brabourne Stadium's Gate No. 11, an illegal shed for the labourers near Gate No. 9, and illegal construction near the East End that is being used for commercial activities," the notices said. The club has also been accused of constructing play courts on areas shown as passageways in the original building plan.

The CCI has run into trouble even as the Bombay Gymkhana at Fort has been fighting a bitter battle with the civic body, with the latter claiming a portion of the Bombay Gymkhana for road-widening and its ground for the public.

As part of its reply to the Collector's notices, the CCI submitted the minutes of the meeting between the club management and the then additional chief secretary of the Revenue Department regarding the land being sub-leased for the petrol pump, a source from the collectorate said.

"The club officials did submit a reply but did not support their arguments with documents. We issued them a second notice on November 16 calling them for a hearing, and when they didn't turn up despite several reminders, a final notice was issued on April 21," a source from the collectorate said.

The CCI president, Kekoo Nicholson, and the club's treasurer, Premal Udani, did not respond to calls or messages. A club official, who didn't want to be identified, said, "Every notice has been replied to in detail. Not one rule has been violated, and the collector's office also realises we have all permissions in place." Collector Joshi was not available for comment.