HEARING THEM OUT: Municipal Commissioner P. Manivannan speaking to residents of Walwekar Plot in Hubli on Thursday.

HUBLI: Residents of Walwekar Plot at Keshwapur here staged a protest before the office of the Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation here on Thursday demanding the removal of a fence reportedly put up by a private school.

According to the protestors, the school authorities were not authorised to put up the fence and had encroached upon property belonging to the corporation.

Although the corporation officials and staff came to the spot on Thursday to demolish illegal structures, they failed to clear the encroached space, protestors said.

They urged corporation Commissioner P. Manivannan to take action or they would be forced to launch an agitation against the corporation and the school authorities who were causing inconvenience to people in the area. Mr. Manivannan promised them that action would be taken to clear the encroachment, following which the residents withdrew their protest. However, there seemed to be a difference opinion between the corporation and the Police Commissionerate. While the corporation had sought police protection for demolishing the illegal structure, the Police Commissionerate is yet to give its consent for providing it.

Narayan Nadamani, Police Commissioner, told The Hindu that since the issue relating to the school was in the court of law, he had sought legal advice. "We want to keep ourselves away from doing anything which may ultimately land us in facing contempt of court proceedings," he said.

Mr. Manivannan told The Hindu that the school authorities had put up a fence illegally encroaching the corporation property.

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