CM tells BTC to vacate premises in two years and move to Kunigal Stud Farm

While the State government is yet to issue racing licence for the season starting November 1, the Bangalore Turf Club has reiterated its demand to have 6.5 acres in the current location to run its club operations before shifting the racing activities to Kunigal Stud Farm, a demand the State government is yet to commit to.

On Sunday,  Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, accompanied by his legal adviser A.S. Ponnanna, Energy Minister K.J. George and a host of officials paid a surprise visit to the club premises to hold discussions with the office-bearers, many of whom were away in Mysuru to watch the Derby at Mysore Race Course.

BTC chairman L. Shivashankar, who had just reached Mysuru had to rush back to meet the Chief Minister, who came unannounced.

BTC sources said that the meeting remained cordial and Mr. Siddaramaiah urged the club authorities to move to Kunigal Stud Farm at the earliest and also withdraw the petition filed before the Supreme Court. “Though we have asked for retaining 6.5 acres for the club in the existing location, the government has not committed to the extent of land it could give us. We also sought land with clear titles and that has no legal trouble to which he agreed. He told us to vacate the Bengaluru premises in two years, and move to Kunigal,” the sources said.

The 80-and-odd-acre turf club is among the largest open spaces in the city centre, and the more than a century-old BTC has been under pressure from governments over the decades to vacate the land given by the Mysore Maharajas. On many occasions, the club has been allegedly arm-twisted to increase membership, which is hard to get under current circumstances.

The sources said that though it would take about three to four years to build a good race track, the Chief Minister did not agree to it.

“We have agreed to move to the new location in two years from the time of handing over of litigation-free land. We have also agreed to withdraw the petition in the Supreme Court. The extraordinary general body meeting of the club has approved moving racing activities out of the current location,” the sources added.

Meanwhile, in a related issue, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar — at an event in Cubbon Park on Sunday morning — told presspersons that the current racecourse was one of the possible locations suggested by the Advocates Association of Bengaluru to shift the Karnataka High Court from Cubbon Park.  His remarks came when the issue of moving the High Court from Cubbon Park was raised.