Cabinet nod for land allotment to Turf Club

Racing: Doddajala confirmed as venue:

 
It was also decided that the BTC should set aside 10 acres of land for vehicle parking and providing other basic facilities at the new venue. The government said the land was being given on lease for 30 years and the lease rent will be Rs 50,000 per year. The lease amount will be increased by 10 per cent every two years.

BTC Chairman P V Shetty welcomed the move. “We are yet to receive any official communication in this regard. However, the BTC welcomes the government decision of allotting the land,” said Shetty.

“We once again plead with the government to give us more time to build the new venue,” Shetty added. The government had set December 31, 2009 as the deadline for BTC to vacate the present premises. However, BTC has requested the government to allow them two to three years’ time for building infrastructure.

Friday’s decision to allot the land in Doddajala came after the Karnataka High Court allowed the government to take appropriate action, in accordance with the law, in giving the land near Amanekere. The government had approached the court, as the 152.02 acres in Doddajala included 56.10 acres of tank bed area.

The BTC has maintained that it will not disturb the water body in the earmarked land. “BTC will protect the water body there. In fact we have planned to clean it and make it into a useful one,” Dr K M Srinivas Gowda, senior steward and former chairman of the BTC, said.