Starting in 1997, there have been plans to host an Indian Grand Prix at Calcutta. In 2003, India had only two permanent raceways. One in Chennai (Irungattukottai), and Kari Memorial Speedway in Coimbatore. Two sites in the area of the Bangalore airport were consired. In the state Andhra Pradesh, land near the airport at Hyderabad were set aside. In December 2003, an seven-year preliminary agreement to host the GP in Hyderabad in 2007 was signed. The track was to be build near Gopanapally village, near the outskirts of Hyderabad. In 2004 pressure came from Mumbai, to shift the track from Hyderabad to Mumbai.