Mallya's stable says 'neigh' to train

BANGALORE: Tipu Sultan used to train and breed his horses at this stud farm in Kunigal (Tumkur) and later the Mysore Army. So history runs deep in this 400-acre, 200-year-old farm. But today, the Kunigal Stud Farm, the oldest in India (leased by liquor baron Vijay Mallya), is worried.
A railway track connecting Bangalore and Hassan could run right through it, cutting it in half.The stand-off between owners of the Kunigal Stud Farm and the South Western Railway officials has been on for the past few months, and at the moment it looks like the railway bosses could have their way. But not without resistance from the Vijay Mallya stable.
United Racing & Bloodstock Breeders (URBB), Mallya's race horse division, has suggested the Railways take a 1.5 km detour to prevent the line from going through. If it is split, it could affect the activities around the farm, on which some 150 people from villages are dependent.
Says URBB director Zeyn Mirza,"The horses are highly sensitive animals and no breeding activity can be successful amid sound and air pollution. There will be a lot of that during the construction of the railway line and thereafter by trains passing through the farm.”
"At this stage, a railway line would certainly put the interests of the stud farm in jeopardy, leading to possible closure."
But the railway authorities have reasons of their own: They have communicated to URBB that any kind of line distortion will lead to introduction of a 5.5 degree curve, resulting in permanent speed restriction of 65 kmph.
Also, the alternative alignment may require dismantling a place of worship and the length of the line will increase by 600 metres. The alignment could also pass through low-lying areas which will have to be filled up. "Eight staff quarters and an office of the Karnataka Station Irrigation Department will also have to be dismantled," they said. The stock bred on this farm has a big reputation, with many horses, like Saddle Up, going on to win prestigious racing events. Today, there are 200-odd horses at the farm.