'MRC must comply with court order'

Sericulture and Tourism Minister Sa Ra Mahesh said that Saturday is the deadline given to the Mysuru Race Club (MRC) to comply with the court orders. He said further talks will be held with the MRC office-bearers only after the confirmation of the compliance.

The minister said the lease period of the MRC has expired over a decade ago and he has been fighting for the custody of the 139 acres of land by the government for public use. “The Revenue department is demanding works worth Rs 95 crore by the Tourism department for a 30-year lease of 110 acres of land in Himmavu village of Nanjangud taluk. However, the Public WOrks Department (PWD) had leased the 139 acres of prime lands in the heart of the city to the MRC for just Rs 2 lakh per year. Following my fight, the lease amount was fixed at 2% on the turnover of the MRC and the lease amount has just crossed Rs 2.2 crore per year. Now, the MRC is occupying the lands on the basis of a court order,” he pointed out.

Mahesh said the court order is limited for holding of race by around 30 horses.

“But the MRC is using the land for the stables of 600 horses. Each horse requires three caretakers and around 1,800 people, most of them migrants from North India are staying on the MRC premises. This is illegal. Besides, they are exploiting the precious water supplied by the Mysuru City Corporation and are polluting the premises and surroundings. Loads of horse manure is dumped on the lands behind the MRC and also behind the Mall of Mysuru, which is near Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens. It is likely to affect the health of the animals and birds in the zoo and also that of the people,” he said.

He said once the MRC meets the deadline of complying with the court order and shifts out the horses and men, we will inspect the premises and decide on holding further talks.