Earth movers brought in by the Nilgiris district administration to level the land inside the Ooty race course as part of its efforts to set up a vehicle parking lot (since stayed by the High Court), have damaged a portion of the land, officials from the Madras Race Club said on Wednesday.

Moreover, officials said that the locks of two gates barring entry to the race course near the Ooty bus stand were broken open, and the Revenue Department officials forcefully entered the premises on Wednesday morning.

Officials said earth movers were brought in to level the land. “Though the actual track has not been damaged by the earth mover, portions of land inside the race course have been levelled,” said the official.

He alleged that the recent damage was in addition to the damage the race course sustained during the MGR birth centenary celebrations last year, when over 600 buses, cars and other vehicles were parked on the premises, which served as the venue for the event in the Nilgiris.

Because of the damage to the race track, the number of races held in the Nilgiris had to be reduced, while additional work may have to be completed on the track to ensure races could be held in 2019, the official added.

Asked about the charges, a Revenue Department official contended that the land belonged to the Revenue Department and was leased to the MRC. The official said they had only entered the premises to start work on levelling the land to set up a parking lot.

They had not damaged any portion of the actual race track, he claimed.