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Kotagiri villagers stop inspection team, say no to race course

A preliminary proposal to shift the 54-acre iconic race course from the centre of Ooty town to a location near Kotagiri suffered a setback, as an inspection team faced opposition from local villagers on Sunday.

When the team, headed by Coonoor deputy collector Ranjit Singh and comprising revenue officials and representatives of the Madras Race Club (MRC), reached Nedugula village near Kotagiri, as suggested by the Madras high court, the villagers blocked the convoy.

After an hour-long standoff, the team was allowed with a condition that further visits would not be entertained.

When contacted, Ranjit Singh told TOI that the villagers protested fearing takeover of the land parcels in their possession. “The land belongs to the district administration, but the villagers have encroached it. They thought we would take over the land. They are Badaga community people who said they had their graveyard and farms there. I have asked them to give a representation. I shall submit a report to the Nilgiris collector,” he said.

Asked if MRC officials were happy with the alternative location, he said, “We do not know the club’s position. We also showed them one more location nearby.”

Last week, a division bench of the Madras high court asked the Nilgiris district administration if it could allot a piece of land of equal measure for the club to relocate the race course. The collector came up with the Nedungula village site for the course, and the club agreed to visit the location to see if it would be suitable.

Dharmalingam Venugopal, honorary director of the The Nilgiris Documentation Centre, who also accompanied the team, said the court had treated the race course matter as an issue between the MRC and the district administration, and had not taken the local people into account. “It is the last piece of greenery, and a lung space in Ooty which can absorb carbon footprint left behind by teeming tourists. Also, as a relic of the past, it has got heritage value too,” he said.

Asked why the local people were resisting the very idea, he said a race course is a good tourist promotion activity but has nothing to do with livelihood of the local people. He said villagers were asking why the district authorities did not go to a place like an old 18-hole golf course in Kotagiri which had been given on lease to a private party a few decades ago.

According to the villagers, the land identified had houses, an old Heththai Amman temple meant for the surrounding villagers, and a school, though it was closed a few years ago.

“Our Heththai temple, which has its own age-old tradition, should not be disturbed. Once the land is given to the MRC, the temple, the school, a playground and a graveyard will also be disturbed,” said Hala gowder, village head, Kadaikambatty.

The villagers have plans to reopen the closed government primary school the next academic year. Kannappan, a community leader of Kadaikambatty, said they plan to petition the collector on Monday. A team of villagers are on its way to Chennai to file a petition in the court.

The villagers want horse racing to be banned in the Nilgiris. Said Ranjith Singh: “Land near Kadaikambatty is not a final option. We have two locations to show to the MRC people. Thinking that it is the final inspection, the villagers expressed their unhappiness.” “The Heththai temple and the burial ground are on encroached land parcels. Even tea is cultivated there by encroaching revenue land.”

The revenue officials also inspected a land parcel near Beragani village.

J Innocent Divya, Nilgiris collector, told TOI, “As per the court order, the revenue officials, in a joint inspection, have shown two places, one near Kadaikambatty another near Beragani to the officials of the MRC. So, the MRC officials have to assess it and inform the court. Only based on that will further action be taken.”

(With inputs from Shantha Thiagarajan in Udhagamandalam)

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