A non-starter and a political stunt: RWITC members

Members of the Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC), who are closely associated with horseracing and the club’s affairs, felt that the proposal is just another grandiose plan announced by the municipality, which needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. It is also a political stunt to woo voters ahead of the municipal council elections, averred club members

Mumbai: Mahalaxmi racecourse has been a veritable pot of gold for the state government and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) – both seeking to acquire and repurpose this piece of land. While this intent set Mumbai’s posh set aflutter in the past, the civic body’s new plan to swap the 225 acres of rolling greens in the heart of south Mumbai with its non-functional dumping ground in distant Mulund, has failed to create any stir among the racing fraternity.

Mumbai, India - February 4, 2018: Spectators watch Indian derby 2018 at Mahalaxmi racecourse in Mumbai, India, on Sunday, February 4, 2018. (Photo by Pratik Chorge/Hindustan Times) (Pratik Chorge/HT Photo)

Members of the Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC), who are closely associated with horseracing and the club’s affairs, felt that the proposal is just another grandiose plan announced by the municipality, which needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. It is also a political stunt to woo voters ahead of the municipal council elections, averred club members.

“Earlier too we saw Shiv Sena, which ruled the BMC, promoting plans for an aquarium and a theme park at the Mahalaxmi racecourse when its lease expired in 2013. With their eye on the forthcoming BMC elections, leaders are trying to impress their constituencies by proposing to acquire the racecourse,” said a senior club member, on condition of anonymity.

The sprawling property has been in exclusive possession of the RWITC since the racecourse was built on marshy land during British rule in 1883. Until then, races were conducted at Byculla. The state government owns two thirds of the racecourse land while the rest belongs to BMC.

Mahalaxmi to Mulund

Not mincing his words, former RWITC chairman Vivek Jain said, “Noises about alternative use for racecourse land keeps surfacing from time to time. As the club’s open area is genuinely the city’s green lung, it must not be disturbed. Racing is a well-regulated sport and the RWITC is a big contributor to the state’s exchequer. There needs to be a solution that matches both the state and the turf club’s views and is easily achievable.”

While RWITC executives reserved their views on BMC’s recent move, a former administrator said, “The land parcel of the defunct Mulund dumping ground which the BMC proposes to give RWITC is around 60-65 acres whereas the expanse of the Mahalaxmi racecourse is 225 acres. Also, there are many grey areas in the proposal which need to be illuminated.”

He was emphatic that given the huge area a racing requires, along with stables, public enclosures and stands, “it will be impossible for the turf club to shift its racing operations on the ground which is less than one-third of the land it currently holds”.

An equally pertinent concern is that building a new racecourse from scratch would require between ₹300-400 crore. “The RWITC doesn’t have the financial capability to undertake such a project; so who will bear the cost of the new racecourse? The BMC’s proposal is good to grab headlines but it is a non-starter,” he said.

Past takeover bid

In its bid to tide over its acute financial crisis at the turn of the millennium, the RWITC entered into a deal with one Shobit Rajan-promoted Pegasus Infrastructure in 2004. Pegasus stood to get 100 acres of the land in its possession where it proposed to build an international convention centre, golf course, new stables and two club house buildings.

The proposed deal triggered a huge controversy when it was revealed in the public domain – prominent green activists, led by the Bombay Environment Action Group (BEAG), dragged the turf club to court after filing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Bombay high court against the deal. After several hearings, the HC granted a stay on any new construction activity at the racecourse, which remains in force.

Pegasus had paid RWITC a security deposit of ₹10 crore at the time of signing the deal, which was forfeited by the turf club two years later shortly after the HC judgment. While this piece of land continued to draw the attention of builders and politicians, BMC’s decision of not renewing the lease in favour of RWITC after it expired in 2013 has made the racecourse vulnerable to a takeover by the state and has kept the turf club on tenterhooks.