India, Sept. 19 -- Private parties leasing civic land for sporting activities such as tennis, cricket and pickle ball will have to pay a licence fee under a new policy announced by the BMC on September 16. The decision will open up a new and lucrative revenue stream for the BMC, given that more than 4,000 plots have been leased for these purposes.

According to civic sources, private parties granted a no-objection certificate (NOC) to install artificial turf on leased plots for sporting activities have been earning substantial revenue by hiring out the grounds for tournaments and even slots on an hourly basis.

The existing policy does not explicitly address such uses, as these facilities are considered temporary or semi-permanent structu...