Bangalore Turf Club (BTC) gets six months to move out, denied Chikkajala land for relocation.
The Bangalore Turf Club (BTC) has lost its case, land and money.
A division bench of the Karnataka high court on Monday dismissed petitions filed by the BTC and the Karnataka Race Horse Owners’ Association challenging the state government’s decision terminating the lease over the Race Course land and directed the BTC to vacate the premises by September 22.
Besides, the court also quashed the government order allotting alternative land to the BTC at Chikkajala. It also asked the BTC to pay the government a monthly lease amount of Rs5 lakh from December 31.
The BTC is planning to file a Special Leave Petition in the Supreme Court against the high Court order.
Most importantly, the court directed the government to preserve the existing Race Course land as an open space and create a mini social forest.
The government should “create a green paradise in Bangalore city on par with what was done centuries back in the form of Lalbagh and Cubbon Park”, it observed. The division bench also directed the government to take measures to preserve, protect and develop the Doddajala and Amanikere tank by removing all obstructions to the smooth flow of water into the tank. It may be recalled that the government of Karnataka had refused to renew the lease granted to the BTC over the land on which the Race Course stood beyond December 31, 2009. It had directed the club to shift its activities to Mysore.
The government had later offered the BTC alternative land at Chikkajala for the purpose of relocating the Race Course and was willing to consider even the extension of time given for shifting. However, a special general body of the BTC ruled out any compromise on the issue and resolved to take the issue to the court and claim that the grant of land given to the club in 1915 was absolute.
Further, the BTC said that it was willing to consider shifting if the government gave more than 150 acres of land, tax holiday and financial grant for building a new race course. It stated that the club would require a minimum of five years to rebuild a new race course.
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