A division bench of The Karnataka High Court headed by Chief Justice P D Dinakaran directed the Government to proceed further, in accordance with law, and go ahead in alloting the Chikkajala land to The Bangalore Turf Club for relocating its racing activities. This was a result of a petition moved by the Government to legally clear this piece of land prior to allotment. The said property measuring 95.32 acres was a dry tank bed, and came within the transport zone of that area. Now that the Government has recieved this green signal, it is likely to go ahead with re-zoning the marked area and handing over the same to the BTC. Another 56.1 acres adjoining this block is a water body . The Government has assured the court that all necessary steps shall be taken to protect this water body. It is learnt that the water body shall be maintained and nurtured by the BTC after it takes posession of this entire block. For the information of our readers, this piece of land is located on the way to the new airport in Bangalore. There is a six lane highway connecting the city to this site, and in terms of time, it may take about 35 minutes to reach there from the present location. With an abundance of greenery and a large water body by its side, the new setting shall be ideally suited to the health and wellbeing of the horses. The Bangalore Turf Club has written to the Government of Karnataka and confirmed its willingness to move to a suitable location. The said piece of land at Chikkajala was approved some time back by a joint committee. This new development has helped in setting the ball rolling. The Chief Minister has been asking the Club to vacate the present premises by 31st December 2009. He has been repeatedly confirming that his Government will allot suitable land and also grant a seven year tax moratorium to the BTC. What he is not willing to consider is a grant of time to build the new infrastructure. The authorities at the BTC, along with its race horse owners, trainers ,jockeys and the syces union are likely to seek a meeting with the Chief Minister in the next few days. This move is aimed at seeking a suitable extension at the present location to facilitate easy transition. It shall require a minimum of three years from the date of posession of the land, to build a new race course. The said piece of land is reported to be quite uneven, and it would require a major effort in levelling the same. The prospects of having a new state of the art racing facility in a bigger and better environment sounds exciting. The present location has been shrinking with the passage of time , and it is bursting at its seams. With the BTC seeking a suitable extension of its present lease, The Government of Karnataka would do well to find an amicable solution to this problem. A harmonious relationship ia mandatory for all concerned. It is hoped that the Government will see reason , and not force the Club to seek legal redressal.