BENGALURU: Presently, the Bangalore Turf Club (BTC) is overcrowded with 887 horses and 600-650 syces on the premises. The available infrastructure is not capable of holding such a number of animals and syces, according to a report submitted to the Karnataka High Court by Capt Dr Ravi Raidurg.
Raidurg was nominated as Inspector by the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) under Rule 14 of the Performing Animals (Registration) Rules 2001, following the high court’s direction to inspect the premises and submit a report in relation to the allegations made by the petitioner-Compassion Unlimited Plus Action, an NGO.
On the allegations of the petitioner about the poor condition of the stables and tracks, Ravi Raidurg stated in his report that 80 per cent of the stables are over 50 years old.
Temporary measures won’t be fruitful in a long run. There is a need for immediate construction of state-of-the-art stables, he said, while noting that the track maintenance is satisfactory. Raidurg inspected the BTC on November 28 and 29. Taking note, a division bench have sought a response from the BTC and AWBI on the recommendations made in the report.