Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Race Club has offered to shift from Malakpet if the state government allots 250 acres of land at any suitable location on the city outskirts. The existing race course is spread over 117 acres.

Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had announced several times earlier that the government plans to shift the race course to the city outskirts and utilise the land to set up minority educational institutions.

However, there has been no progress on this since the last two years.
Officials said the race course recently has offered to shift if it is allotted 250 acres saying that the existing 117 acres was not sufficient for its activities.

Sources in Chief Minister's Office said that HRC officials met Mr Rao recently and put forth the proposal. They informed the CM that the HRC had purchased the land in Malakpet in 1960s for Rs 14 lakh and it is now worth over Rs 1,500 crore at an average price of about Rs 15 crore per acre.

They said that they need double the land to implement their expansion plans since the existing premises is insufficient. Mr Rao had first revealed his plans to shift the race course and Chanchalguda jail to the city outskirts if TRS came to power, just days before the counting of votes in the 2014 elections.

Mr Rao felt that there was no need for a race course and jails in the heart of the city as such valuable lands could be utilised for public use in a better way.
The CM directed revenue officials to identify 250 acres on the city outskirts suitable for race course activities.