The ₹12,000-crore Buddh International Circuit in Uttar Pradesh last saw a grand prix in 2013-the third season of the Formula 1 Indian Grand Prix. The following year, F1 left India because of government apathy, which became apparent when the sports minister of the time declared that racing cars was not sports. The world-class circuit lay unused for a decade after that, until the MotoGP Grand Prix of India came along.
At the heart of the F1 issue was a thorny tax problem. Whenever cars are brought into the country, a 200 per cent excise duty is levied. So it makes little sense to bring cars into the country for the sole purpose of racing them for a few days.
Manoj Kumar Singh, chairperson of the state government's promotional agency Invest UP, said a legal bypass was created specially for MotoGP. All bikes were held in two custom-bound areas-one at the airport, where the bikes landed, and another at the racing circuit. En route to the airport and the circuit, the police kept a strict watch on the vehicles.
"When the organisers (FairStreet Sports and Dorna Sports) first approached the government, the chief minister was very excited, especially as this was the first time such an event was being held in India," said Singh.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der October 08, 2023-Ausgabe von THE WEEK India.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der October 08, 2023-Ausgabe von THE WEEK India.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
William Dalrymple goes further back
Indian readers have long known William Dalrymple as the chronicler nonpareil of India in the early years of the British raj. His latest book, The Golden Road, is a striking departure, since it takes him to a period from about the third century BC to the 12th-13th centuries CE.
The bleat from the street
What with all the apps delivering straight to one’s doorstep, the supermarkets, the food halls and even the occasional (super-expensive) pop-up thela (cart) offering the woke from field-to-fork option, the good old veggie-market/mandi has fallen off my regular beat.
Courage and conviction
Justice A.M. Ahmadi's biography by his granddaughter brings out behind-the-scenes tension in the Supreme Court as it dealt with the Babri Masjid demolition case
EPIC ENTERPRISE
Gowri Ramnarayan's translation of Ponniyin Selvan brings a fresh perspective to her grandfather's magnum opus
Upgrade your jeans
If you don’t live in the top four-five northern states of India, winter means little else than a pair of jeans. I live in Mumbai, where only mad people wear jeans throughout the year. High temperatures and extreme levels of humidity ensure we go to work in mulmul salwars, cotton pants, or, if you are lucky like me, wear shorts every day.
Garden by the sea
When Kozhikode beach became a fertile ground for ideas with Manorama Hortus
RECRUITERS SPEAK
Industry requirements and selection criteria of management graduates
MORAL COMPASS
The need to infuse ethics into India's MBA landscape
B-SCHOOLS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT INDIAN ECONOMY IS GOING TO WITNESS A TREMENDOUS GROWTH
INTERVIEW - Prof DEBASHIS CHATTERJEE, director, Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode
COURSE CORRECTION
India's best b-schools are navigating tumultuous times. Hurdles include lower salaries offered to their graduates and students misusing AI