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Bangalore Turf Club to move to Tumakuru; Karnataka Govt to impose penalty for rent dues
Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said the government would provide “minimum time” for the Bangalore Turf Club to relocate.
The Karnataka Cabinet has approved leasing 110 acres at Kunigal Stud Farm near Tumakuru to the Bangalore Turf Club for 29 years, paving the way for shifting horse racing out of Bengaluru and ending a long-running dispute over land and dues. (File photo)
The Karnataka Cabinet Thursday approved leasing 110 acres and 20 guntas of land at Kunigal Stud Farm near Tumakuru to the Bangalore Turf Club (BTC) for 29 years to conduct horse racing, signalling a resolution to the long-standing dispute between the state government and the club.
Under the agreement, BTC will pay an annual lease amount equivalent to 2.5 per cent of the land’s guidance value. In addition to clearing pending rent dues, the Club must deposit two per cent of its annual income with the Public Works Department (PWD) from 2010 onwards until it vacates its existing premises in the city centre.
Addressing a press conference after the Cabinet meeting, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said the government would provide “minimum time” for the Club to relocate. “A government order will be issued spelling out the specifics,” he said.
Patil said the penalty has been imposed because rents have not been revised since 2010 due to a legal dispute, resulting in losses to the state exchequer.
Of the 83 acres and 14 guntas of land currently occupied by the Club in Central Bengaluru, the BTC will retain its heritage office building and four acres of surrounding land. “The remainder of the area will be used to develop a lung space in the city,” Patil said.
The Karnataka Government maintained that the prime land in Central Bengaluru should be used either as lung space or for new government facilities.
The decision comes after tensions escalated in 2024, when the state government refused to renew the Club’s racing licence, an order that was later stayed by the High Court. In October last year, the government sought the immediate shifting of the racecourse, warning that licences would not be issued if the Club failed to comply.
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