mid-day editorial: Give Mahalaxmi a new lease of life

The green emerald of SoBo has a little more shine now, thanks to recent reports that the Shiv Sena’s plans to convert the Mahalaxmi racecourse into a theme park may not materialise at all

The green emerald of SoBo has a little more shine now, thanks to recent reports that the Shiv Sena’s plans to convert the Mahalaxmi racecourse into a theme park may not materialise at all. The BJP-led state government has issued a directive, in the form of a GR (government resolution), stating that the government’s approval is a must for renewing the lease for the coveted open space in the middle of South Mumbai. This is for the racecourse as well as for gymkhanas in Mumbai.

The directive may have put the plans for a theme park into cold storage but it will also bring the lease issue to the fore. Since 2013, when the Mahalaxmi racecourse’s 99-year-old lease expired, there has been a sword of Damocles hanging over the Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC). Throughout, there have been worrying statements from politicians and the powerful about how the racecourse land can be put to better use and it is time to shift the sport out of Mumbai. Charges of sport being elitist and exclusive continue to cling to the club, despite efforts to make the politicians see that the open space is truly inclusive, and is a much-needed lung for the city.

With this new development, we do not know if the sword has been removed from over the head, but there is at least some clarity on who has the final say on the racecourse. While one cannot blindly defend every club and gymkhana that may violate certain rules, it is true that the lease has been used as a gun to the head of so many open spaces in the city. With leases to be renewed still pending, clubs cannot say no to some outrageous demands by people in power. While political analysts’ debate about what this means for the BJP-Shiv Sena, this certainly looks like a game changer for Mahalaxmi and other clubs in the city.

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