After a lengthy debate and amidst high drama the members of the Bangalore Turf Club (BTC)  played it right, giving a go-ahead to the five resolutions the management committee proposed and framed for the approval of the members at the EGM on Monday. Initially a small group determined to throw a spanner in the wheel and defeat the movement  did pose a few problems, insisting that the committee put to vote the proposed resolutions. Well after a couple of stormy debates, wiser counsel prevailed and to the delight of the horse racing fraternity, the members of this premier racing centre took the right road which hopefully will put them on the high road in the months ahead. The fact that some of the members wanted the managing committee to gain an assurance in writing from the government on the shifting issue, more importantly the identification of  a suitable land with good connectivity from the city was not a bad idea, but it could have misfired if the government decided to play ball and withdraw the license to conduct racing from April at this centre. 

In the present scenario the club needs to tactfully play their cards and gain the pound of flesh in the negotiations with the government. "Now that we have the total support of the members we will strike a good bargain. The main aim is to continue racing and the new resolutions will provide a new dimension to the sport here," said BTC chairman Manjunath Ramesh adding that the messages and signals coming from the corridors of power look supportive and good and the onus is on us to gain the time and space required to gain the desired results. 

The first resolution is to acquire 100-125 acres of suitable land to build a new race course. The government, it is learnt is looking at a couple of land parcels which will suit the club, a portion of the 400 plus acre Kunigal Stud Farm is top on the list and land at Chikkajala too may come up for scrutiny. BTC may prefer Chikkajala in favour of Kunigal taking into account, better connectivity, but the decision lies with the government and it simply is government's call. 

The club next is seeking to retain atleast five acres of  built up area in the existing premises for office administration and betting operations, The government is likely to honour this request understanding that the club needs room to operate and perform functions on a daily basis. "The club just cannot function without administrative office, tote windows betting ring and viewing stands," pointed out Ramesh. 

Next with the approval of the government, the club will increase membership from 350 to 600 members, an increase of 250 members this year and an equal number for the next three years. That effectively means that 1000 new members will be allotted membership of this premier racing club at a cost of Rs 25 lakh. When posed with a question that the club will find it difficult to get members at a high premium cost taking into account that BTC has nothing to offer, no swimming pool, no gymnasium, no badminton and tennis courts and not even a table for snooker or billiards, BTC steward KA Jagdish shot back revealing that more than 25 individuals including a couple from the corporate world have made enquiries, making it clear that they are interested to gain the membership at the advertised cost. Jagdish added that Stand members will be taken in at a cost of Rs 15 lakh and corporate membership is also designed and will be offered at Rs 20 lakh. 

Sizeable number of members it was clear were not happy with the fourth resolution, increase in  subscription from a paltry Rs 250 for year to 12,000 per annum. The fact that the Club successfully conducted the sport and facilitated 350 members paying only 250 per year is the icing on the cake and when compared with the subscriptions of the other racing clubs and social clubs, BTC yearly subscription defied logic. It is needless to mention that on a long run it punched holes in the finances of the club but the past mandarins of the club did not address the embarrassing issue knowing that it will only cut the votes in their favour in the next elections for committee. Well even after more than three decades the members want to stick to Rs 250 is a joke. The present committee has done well to make it Rs 12,000 sending out a clear signal that the committee means business and it is only looking at it from racing point of view. 

Manjunath Ramesh disclosed that the government was clear, advising us to raise funds through memberships. "The government is aware that BTC is not financially sound and they are willing to support us. We need the money to build a new course and it is not easy generating the funds from the game. Apart from the memberships we need to plan and design a couple of money fetching schemes, gaining permission for online betting and in addition we need to rope in some big sponsors. For that we need to develop new infrastructure at our existing premises and that will be our top priority, "said Ramesh thanking all the members for the final united stand after a couple of early hiccups.