The Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC) at the Mahalaxmi race course is all set to get a new club on the premises. The Club’s chairman has stated in a letter that these are exciting times for the club, with a new club  house with a host of sporting facilities and rooms coming up soon. The letter stated that the location of the new club house, will be on the site of the derelict second enclosure.

The new club house will be coming up at the derelict stands in the second enclosure. These stands have been empty for years, have been unusable and lie in ruins. The club house, the RWITC committee stated, will occupy this space. The stands are substantial, and the RWITC has said that the 40,000 sq m. The club house will offer sporting facilities including 70 rooms. Current RWITC members can avail new  club house amenities, said the cheery, upbeat letter.

While all the optimism may be justified, we must remind the race course authorities that there were statements that open space will not be taken over. The stand space may be utilised in this way, but there is open space around, which must be preserved as open. There are also a number of trees in the vicinity, which should be part of the new plans, no tree should be hacked, on the pretext of making way for this, that or the other.