Cabinet okays lease renewal for 91 acres of 211-acre Mahalaxmi Racecourse
BMC plans to create open space on rest 120 acres
3 min read
The Mahalaxmi Racecourse was built in 1883 on a sea-facing land parcel, modelled on Randwick Racecourse of Sydney. (File Photo)The Maharashtra Cabinet on Wednesday cleared the proposal to renew the lease agreement for 91 acres of the 211-acre Mahalaxmi Racecourse. Rest 120 acres will be given to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), which plans to turn it into a green space for the public. The Cabinet, while clearing the proposal, said no construction will be allowed in the racecourse.
In January this year, the BMC had proposed taking over a major chunk of the racecourse land from the RWITC. According to the proposal, of the 211 acres, 91 acres will stay with the club, while the rest 120 acres would be acquired by the civic body.
According to the plan, the BMC plans to create an open green space in the 120-acre plot which will have pathways, walkways and sitting areas for visitors. The park would be modelled on London’s Hyde Park or Central Park, New York. Besides, the BMC has also proposed an underground subway that will connect the plot with the upcoming 175-acre open space being created as part of the Mumbai Coastal Road Project (MCRP) reclamation.
Civic officials maintained there is no plan to create an amusement park by carrying out additional constructions. They also said the land will not be handed over to real estate lobbies for developing them. “It will be 200 acres of open space which will be a boon for residents and, once merged with the 175-acre parcel of the coastal road, the city will gain close to 300 acres of open space,” said an official on Tuesday.
Besides, civic officials have also proposed creation of additional stables for horses. “The cost for constructing the additional stables would be around Rs 95 crore and this entire sum will be paid by us. The existing stables are over 100 years and we intend to construct modern day stables with automated entry and exit barriers,” the official added.
The 211-acre plot is partially owned by the BMC and the state government, which was leased out to the RWITC in 1914 for 30 years. It was renewed in 1964 for another 30 years. In 1994 the lease was again renewed for 19 years, which got over in May 2013. It was in 2013 when the proposal for transforming the plot into a park was floated.
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