New Delhi, Aug. 27 -- Demolition work at the Delhi Race Club commenced in the morning hours on Thursday, shortly after the Centre took possession of the club's 53-acre premises, marking a dramatic end to horse racing activities at the century-old institution.
The Centre took possession of the premises on Lok Kalyan Marg in Lutyens' Delhi after the Patiala House Court on Tuesday dismissed the club's plea seeking an interim stay on the August 11 eviction order passed by an estate officer under the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act.
The bulldozers brought down several historic structures at the club, including the stables, bookmakers' ring, winning post, a photofinish camera, saddling enclosure and other facilities that were once at the heart of horse racing in Delhi, a club official said.
"It was a deeply disturbing sight for anyone who has been associated with the club and racing," a source associated with the club said.
"We had more than 250 horses. Of these, around 200 have been taken back by their owners, while about 50 are still at the club," the club official said.
"We have been given time till September 14 to sort everything out. We are planning to send the remaining horses to their owners in the next one or two weeks," he said.
Renovated in the 1940s, the club's stables were carefully designed to shield the horses from Delhi's harsh summer."This place was built very meticulously to shield the horses from the heat, keep stables ventilated," the official said.
Worth anywhere between Rs 3 lakh and Rs 50 lakh, depending on their pedigree and racing record, the thoroughbreds are among the country's finest and most expensive racehorses.
Every few days, a horse float rolls out of the racecourse, carrying prized racehorses to new homes at racing centres across the country, sources stated.
The legal dispute began in March, when the Land and Development Office issued a notice directing the club to vacate the government land within 15 days, saying it was required for public purposes.
The club challenged the order before the Delhi High Court.
On May 26, a division bench of the high court set aside an interim order that stayed the show-cause proceedings against the club, allowing the eviction process to continue.
The estate officer on August 11 directed the club to vacate the 53.24-acre premises within 15 days, holding that the lease had expired on December 31, 1994, and it had not been renewed. The Centre maintained that the lease executed on March 8, 1926, was temporary and remained valid through periodic extensions until December 31, 1994.
It contended that the club remained in unauthorised occupation of the government land since January 1, 1995.
The club's main appeal against the eviction order is scheduled to come up before the court for final disposal on September 26.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.