For 36-year-old Nitesh Kumar, the Delhi Gymkhana Club was never a symbol of privilege or power. It was the place that gave him the confidence to take a home loan of Rs 30 lakh and buy a flat in Dwarka.When he took out the loan five months ago, he was counting on his job as a bartender at the Club to help him pay his EMIs over the next 30 years.But his dreams were dashed on May 22 when the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) asked the Club to hand over its premises, as the 27.3-acre plot on Safdarjung Road — on which it stands — is required for “strengthening and securing defence infrastructure”.“When we got to know about this, I broke down in front of my son,” Kumar says. “I did not eat or drink water for a day. I had counted on this job to pay back the loan in 30 years.” Nitesh Kumar, Gymkhana club worker, Express Photo by Gajendra YadavNot being able to pay his EMI is not the only concern he has today though. While he is looking for a new job, he also has to find a place for his family to live.Kumar is among the hundreds of jhuggi dwellers who have been asked to vacate their homes near the Prime Minister’s residence on Lok Kalyan Marg and shift to DUSIB (Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board) flats in Savda Ghevra. He had no plans to shift to Savda Ghevra as he had already bought a flat in Dwarka.Kumar is one of around 700 staff members who work at the Club.Story continues below this adWhile 260 among them are permanent employees, 120 are contractual workers and the rest are daily wagers.In a representation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Delhi Gymkhana Employees’ Union has said that nearly 3,500 family members are directly or indirectly dependent on such people who work at the Club. “Most employees also have home loans, education loans and other financial obligations. If the functioning of the club is disrupted, these employees and their families could face severe economic and social hardship,” the appeal said.Nitin Kumar Tamta (39), who works as a cook at the Club on a daily wage basis, has reluctantly begun to look for a new job. He is yet to hear from the places he has approached for a job.“I have been working here for more than 10 years. I am now emotionally attached to other people who work at the Club,” he says.Story continues below this ad Nitin Kumar Tamta, Gymkhana club worker (Express Photo by Gajendra Yadav)Recalling an instance when he had become unconscious in the kitchen a few years ago, Tamta says, “The staff rushed me to a hospital and took care of everything.”His immediate concern though is his mother, who suffered a paralysis attack recently. “If the Club closes and I do not get another job, buying medicines for her will become difficult,” he adds.In-charge of takeaway food orders, Amit Acharya (41) has spent more than two decades at the Club and knows exactly how some members like their Butter Chicken prepared and how others prefer their tea with toast. Amit Acharya, Gymkhana club worker (Express Photo by Gajendra Yadav)His immediate concern – how is he going to fund his daughter’s cochlear implant.Story continues below this ad“My daughter has complete hearing loss. I was going to take a loan from the Gymkhana Janata Co-operative Society, which gives us staff members loans at just 1% interest rate. How will I get her treated now?” he asks.Santosh Kumar (50), who works as a helper at the Club’s library, also wanted to take a loan from the co-operative society since one of his four daughters wants to learn Japanese. He is also wondering how he will fulfil her wish. Santosh Kumar, Gymkhana club worker (Express Photo by Gajendra Yadav)While the MoHUA has maintained that the process of resuming leased land would continue, the Club has approached the Delhi High Court. The court has since recorded the Centre’s assurance that no eviction would take place without following due process.