BTC preparing for a shut down?

Eminent senior counsel Soli Sorabjee has in a newspaper article said that probably it is easier to pick a winner at Mahalaxmi race course than to predict the outcome of Special Leave Petition in Supreme Court. The Bangalore Turf Club as such is in the horns of a dilemma as to the future course of action to be taken following the dismissal of their petition and a time frame of six months fixed for their exit from the present premises. The BTC has not yet decided on filing an SLP in Supreme Court. The legal opinion is not encouraging.

The Managing Committee took its own time to call for a special meeting to discuss the crisis situation as they first wanted to go through with the elections to ensure that their kith and kin were elected as members of the club and then decide on the burning issue of saving racing from extinction. Surely the BTC’s Managing Committee and its members definitely don’t stand a chance in the popularity contest if there were to be one, with the voters being race goers and turf club employees. The employees of the club are agitated and concerned about their future even as they fume at the members as being responsible for the present scenario.

The Bangalore Turf Club authorities seem to be resigned to their fate and judging by their action, it appears that they are preparing for winding up operations. Already the club has denied any facility for two year olds stationed at Lumbini Stud Farm, with the argument that when continuation of racing itself is in doubt beyond this summer season, they cannot undertake any further financial liability. They want the message to reach the race horse owners and want them to weigh their options. There is talk of reducing the stake money by 50 per cent for the summer season as so to build up reserves in order to meet the statutory obligations of the club should BTC fail to find a way out of the present crisis.

The BTC members made a serious error in the belief that the grant of 1915 was permanent in nature and taking on the government when they could have exercised the option of negotiating a deal with the government. They did not make the distinction between grant and concession. The BTC behaved with the government the same way as it would do with the professionals and race goers. The high and mighty attitude has brought them to this state. There are no men of vision at BTC and there are no emergency measures except wanting to send a team of high profile members to meet the Chief Minister. Having dared the Chief Minister, they stand little chance of an amicable settlement at this stage.

When racing was banned post independence, it was Prime Minister Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru who came to the rescue of the sport by saying that racing was an economic activity and it need to be continued for whatever its worth. Thanks to his generosity, the race horse breeders in India were able to get a law enacted exempting the existing stud farms form the purview of urban land ceiling which has helped the premier stud farms in the country to survive despite rapid urbanization and expansion of cities. The BTC senior counsel perhaps was unaware this piece of history as this point was never argued. The courts took cognizance of the destruction of trees around the race course and stated that the existing race course should be converted as a theme park but did not consider the plight of the scores of employees dependent on the activity of racing and the economic ruin on the industry as a whole.

The BTC can still retrieve the situation if they act with vision. The immediate need is to buy a few acres of land in close proximity to the city and build a structure that can help continue betting activity of other racing centers and thus help BTC survive financially till such time they manage to get a new race course in place. A few years of closure of racing may be inevitable but then the situation can be saved by having an understanding with Mysore Race Course and build it as the premier centre till such time BTC can have alternate arrangement in place. Before BTC can think of getting a new race course, they can plan to buy land within the resources available with them to build stables and provide training facilities for these horses to race at Mysore and other centers.

There could be a possibility of a private player emerging but he too surely would not like to take BTC and its members along.

There is no ray of hope at the moment as the best in BTC lack conviction. The turf club on its part has also not made any attempt to elicit the support of fellow turf authorities and use their good office to retrieve the situation.