Race Club Takeover – the view from both sides

-- by Sriram V.

In the middle of September this year, the Government in a swift move took over around 148 acres of land it had leased to the Madras Race Club. The notice said that “after the careful consideration of the report of the District Collector and keeping in view of the overall requirement for land for public purposes, (the Government)… hereby take a decision to terminate the lease granted to Madras Race Club and resume the lands in entirety.” Whatever be the justification, the takeover was draconian to say the least, as the Club was given no warning. It must also be noted here that the lease has till 2046 to run its course. The Club has also denied that it rentals are in arrears. That said, horse racing, while it may be the sport of kings, also has a number of evils associated with it. There is therefore much to be said on both sides.

Racing in Madras is historic, for the first meet was held at the Island Grounds in 1780. Thereafter it shifted to Guindy, making it the oldest racecourse of India. The history of the sport here is not continuous, for there were breaks and it was only in 1887 that it revived to stay on. The Madras Race Club was founded in 1896 and Guindy became one of the important racing centres of India. Its heyday was undoubtedly during the Raj when it was part of that culture. Subsequent administrations have looked askance at it. The most famous disruption happened in 1973 when the then DMK Governmentbanned horse racing in Madras only to have it challenged and set aside by the Courts. Thereafter, in 1986, a Department of Racing was formed by the Government to monitor the activities, and this too was set aside by the Supreme Court in 1996. Thereafter, the Race Club has overseen its events.

In the past few years, racecourses across India have come under scrutiny chiefly because of the vast parcels of land they sit on. Like its counterparts in other cities, the Guindy Racecourse too has had parts of its campus taken over by the Government. Around 12 acres have thus gone from the original 160 leased to it. And now the remaining too has been taken over. It is significant that the State Government has recently done the same at Ooty as well. There too, racing activities have ground to a halt following the takeover.

Racing does not have a clean track record, subject as it is to the temptations of gambling. That said, it is one of many such activities, and by banning racing alone it is very unlikely that reckless betting will cease altogether. After all, today there are wagers placed on the outcome of all kinds of things, including other sports. It is also to be noted here that the Government has not cited any altruism as its motive. It is clearly eyeing the land. In fact, within a day of the takeover, the authorities also announced their intention of converting the vast racecourse into a green lung for the city, on the lines of what People’s Park once was.

While that may be a noble intent, we have rarely seen any instance of green lungs being left to be what they were meant to be. They usually end up as sites for memorials, amusement parks, and public utilities. This may very well be the fate of Guindy too. However, it is significant that the Race Club has declared that it intends to fight the takeover, and we need to wait and watch the outcome.

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