Mumbai, June 1 -- Four gymkhanas in Marine Lines have sought a clutch of concessions from the city collector, including relief in stamp duty valuation, lower lease rent hikes and access to development rights. During a meeting with the collector on Friday, the four gymkhanas - PJ Hindu gymkhana, Parsi gymkhana, Islam gymkhana and Catholic gymkhana - also assured that they would abide by a 2025 government resolution (GR) on providing 5% membership to Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officers and grade-I officers of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and state government. Advocate Yusuf Abrahani, president of Islam Gymkhana, said that during the meeting, the authorities flagged concerns about some institutions not extending the mandated 5% quota under the 2025 GR. "Their main contention was that the 5% membership wasn't being granted to IAS and grade-I officers and only IPS officers were getting membership. We said we have given more than 5% membership to all concerned officers and submitted our list," Abrahani told Hindustan Times. On Friday, the four gymkhanas submitted a joint letter to the additional district magistrate, Bappasaheb Thorat, seeking reduction in stamp duty valuation based on the actual built-up area rather than the entire leasehold area including large sports grounds. "The institution incurs significant costs in maintaining sports grounds and employs over 10 staff members for their upkeep. Considering its charitable, sports-promoting and public-serving role, appropriate relief and concessions should be granted. Directions may also be issued to ensure smooth completion of lease agreements for our institution and other similarly placed gymkhanas facing comparable challenges," the joint letter to Thorat said. Abrahani said the stamp duty demand from Islam Gymkhana alone was more than Rs.4 crore. "We cannot afford to pay such a huge amount as we are not a wealthy gymkhana. We told them the policy needs to change because as per the stamp duty policy, the value of a property is ascertained by including the area of grounds and vacant spaces. They said they will consider it," Abrahani said. The four gymkhanas have sought a reduction in the annual lease escalation from 4% to 2%, arguing that a lower hike would help sustain operations and support their role in sports promotion, community engagement and public welfare. They have also sought permission to utilise the balance Floor Space Index (FSI) available on their leasehold plots, subject to applicable Development Control Regulations and statutory approvals. Access to unused FSI would enable the gymkhanas to upgrade their sports infrastructure, improve member amenities and create public-oriented facilities without altering the institutions' core purpose, representatives of the gymkhanas said. Advocate Joaquim Reis, president of the Catholic Gymkhana, confirmed that they had submitted suggestions to the additional district magistrate regarding review of lease rent escalation and stamp duty. "We are already providing more than 5% membership to IAS and grade-I officials," Reis said. A Hindu Gymkhana board member maintained that compliance with the 5% membership clause was not an issue for the four Marine Lines gymkhanas. "Earlier too, our lease agreements mandated that 5% of the total membership must be provided to service members. All four gymkhanas are doing that," the member said, requesting anonymity. According to him, the collector's office was currently gathering inputs to frame revised policy clauses for gymkhanas and clubs, as the earlier 2017 GR was modified through the 2025 GR. Additional district magistrate Bappasaheb Thorat was not available for comments....