The Bengaluru Turf Club may finally be approaching the end of a four-decade-old saga, with the possibility of the racecourse shifting to Kunigal now looking more real than at any time in the past. A draft compromise deed, prepared after extensive discussions involving the Advocate General and representatives of the Bangalore Turf Club, is awaiting the Chief Minister`s approval before being placed before a Special General Meeting of the Club.

The proposed settlement could provide the clarity that racing in Bengaluru has been desperately seeking.

Under the draft, BTC will be allotted around 100 acres at Kunigal Stud Farm for the racecourse, while four acres at the existing premises will be retained for betting operations, the office and clubhouse. BTC had sought five acres, but the government has agreed to four.

The Club will have two years from the date of handing over the Kunigal land to vacate its existing premises. This transition period should allow racing to continue without the immediate threat of closure while preparations are made at Kunigal.

The financial terms are also understood to have been substantially improved from the government`s original position. The lease rent for the four acres at the existing premises has been agreed at 0.5 per cent of the guidance value instead of the originally demanded 2.5 per cent. This would put the annual lease rent at around ?1 crore. The Kunigal land will attract lease rent at 2.5 per cent, with an escalation clause incorporated into the agreement.

The immediate sequence is clear. The draft compromise deed has to be approved by the Chief Minister and then placed before the BTC Special General Meeting. Only after the general body ratifies the agreement can the compromise petition be filed before the Supreme Court.

That makes the Special EGM the next major hurdle, but perhaps not a particularly difficult one to understand.

For BTC, the proposed compromise is virtually a fait accompli. The Club retains the formal right to accept or reject the agreement, but its room for manoeuvre has narrowed dramatically after years of litigation and confrontation. The government appears determined to settle the issue once and for all, and the alternative to accepting the compromise is not particularly attractive.

Rejecting the agreement could reopen the entire battle at a time when the Club is already under considerable financial and operational strain. BTC has suffered financially from the absence of off-course betting for two months, while the continuing uncertainty has badly affected what should have been a productive period for the Club.

The proposed arrangement, on the other hand, gives racing something it has not enjoyed for years: certainty.

There will be two years to continue racing and prepare for the transition to Kunigal. That is a far more constructive proposition than living under the perpetual shadow of closure.

The government also appears to be serious this time about bringing finality to the question of shifting the racecourse, an issue that has remained alive for nearly four decades and has been raised repeatedly at the highest levels of the state administration.

The members of BTC therefore face a decision that goes beyond four acres of land, lease rentals or institutional pride. It is about whether racing in Bengaluru gets a secure future or remains trapped in an endless legal and administrative maze.

One hopes the members will recognise the larger picture and vote to preserve racing rather than challenge the government yet again in a battle where the odds appear heavily stacked against them.

After four decades, the racecourse may finally be approaching the final turn. BTC should ensure that it does not fall at the last hurdle.