Flying on hoofs

It8217;s one of Mumbai8217;s biggest open spaces, 226 acres of lush turf where horses thunder and thousands take their morning walks. And ...

It8217;s one of Mumbai8217;s biggest open spaces, 226 acres of lush turf where horses thunder and thousands take their morning walks. And the city might lose much of that if a grand new plan centred around its elite becomes a reality.

The Royal Western India Turf Club RWITC has signed a Rs 135-crore 8216;8216;tourism development8217;8217; deal with Pegasus Clubs and Resorts, paving the way for a golf course at the centre of the Mahalaxmi racecourse. The sprawling ground was leased to the RWITC in 1914.

Also on schedule are an exhibition and convention centre, a hotel and a club house 8212; all spread over 6 lakh sq ft.

The move has angered many. 8216;8216;One needs to inquire into the deal. The land outside and inside RWITC is never open for the public. Instead, it8217;s rented for weddings,8217;8217; says Ashok Batra, a former Navy captain who has started an online 8216;8216;Save the Racecourse8217;8217; campaign.

8216;8216;How can such an agreement be given legal sanctity?8217;8217; says Major S.K. Lamba, an RWITC member. 8216;8216;The area8217;s development plan clearly shows the green zone reserved as a public recreation ground.8217;8217;

nbsp;	Deal Details

		nbsp;	8226; The deal8217;s worth Rs 400 crore in real estate development terms 8226; Plans include setting up a nine-hole golf course at the centre of the racecourse and demolishing stables 8212; Grade II on the heritage list 8226; Will improve the polo and equestrian grounds and the jogging and walking area. It will be managed and maintained by Pegasus 8226; The proposal has to be approved by the 8216;8216;extraordinary8217;8217; general meeting of RWITC members on June 22	nbsp;

8216;8216;The committee says club members will get a 10 per cent discount on any facility provided by Pegasus. Doesn8217;t that mean it will be a new club just to serve elite people?8217;8217; asks another member.

RWITC8217;s lease with the civic body ends by 2013. But its deal with Pegasus envisions a 30-year lease period, with provisions for extending it to 50 years. What8217;s also alarming is that RWITC8217;s lease with the BMC has no scope for a third-party deal.

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Denying the agreement 8216;8216;amounts to a lease,8217;8217; both RWITC and Pegasus claim it8217;s only a 8216;8216;conducting agreement.8217;8217; 8216;8216;We are not violating our agreement with the civic body,8217;8217; says RWITC chairman A.N. Dhunjibhoy.

People will still be allowed to use the jogging track, and trees won8217;t be hacked, says Shobhit Rajan, chief promoter of Pegasus.

Municipal commissioner Johny Joseph could not be contacted.