Chandigarh, August 26
Punjab’s equestrian enthusiasts will no longer have to ferry their prized horses to turf clubs in Mumbai or Bangalore as the Punjab Government today granted approval to set up a state-of-the-art turf club in Ludhiana through public-private partnership mode.

The Punjab Cabinet, which met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, today gave the final nod for setting up of the race course on 197 acres at Mattewara village in Ludhiana. The land belongs to the Animal Husbandry Department and will be given to a private developer. The Punjab Infrastructure Development Board (PIDB) will implement the project.

PIDB officials said tenders would be floated to invite bids for the Rs 300-crore project. The private entity will bring in the capital investment to set up and operate the race course. The government will get a share in the revenue earned as entertainment tax. The state government is expecting top national and international companies to participate in the bidding.

This will be the first turf club in the state and is touted to be the biggest in north India. The club will have a race track with a minimum length of 1,200 metres, capacity to accommodate 3,000 spectators, stables for 500 horses and a betting arena. There is also a proposal to have an international equestrian sports centre in the club.

PIDB officials said besides betting at the turf club, there is a proposal to allow off-course betting, where horse race enthusiasts can either log in to the website of the course or watch it on television and place bets. Punjab has many stud farms. Almost all stud farms in Punjab send their horses for racing to turf clubs in Mumbai and Bangalore.