The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Tension in Shivajinagar over land dispute

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jun 26, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Tension in Shivajinagar over land dispute

Staff Reporter

Bowring Hospital expansion project on Hospital Road triggers ownership row

Bus services from Shivajinagar suspended
‘No question of compromising the Government land’

Taking no chances: Police deployed in Shivajinagar in Bangalore on Monday after construction work on a land adjacent to a mosque on Hospital Road led to tension in the area.

Bangalore: Tension prevailed in parts of Shivajinagar on Monday as the Public Works Department (PWD) started work on the construction of a postgraduate students’ hostel building, as part of the Bowring Hospital expansion project, next to a mosque on Hospital Road.

The land on which the hostel is set to be built is currently embroiled in a dispute with people affiliated to the mosque laying claim to its ownership.

As the construction work had to be postponed following some protests earlier, a huge posse of policemen was deployed near the site and surrounding areas on Monday to ensure that the work commenced without any hassle.

Using earth-moving equipment, labourers under the supervision of PWD officials started the work by digging a trench for the foundation, a senior police official at the spot told The Hindu.

Bus service affected

The services of the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) from the Shivajinagar bus station, situated close to the site, were suspended till afternoon. Owners of commercial establishments and shops in the immediate vicinity also chose to remain closed as did the Shivajinagar branch of Amanath Co-operative Bank.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Bijay Kumar Singh, who supervised the security arrangements, said no untoward incidents were reported. The bus services were temporarily suspended as the BMTC buses are often the soft targets of mobs, he said. The police had closed the Hospital Road to traffic.

As bus services were suspended without prior notice, scores of commuters were put to hardship. They had to walk up to Cubbon Road or Kamaraj Road to catch a bus following the diversion.

The land in question earlier housed the residential quarters of the Resident Medical Officers of the Bowring Hospital. A few weeks ago, the existing buildings were demolished for constructing the hostel. The trouble started then, with those connected with the neighbouring mosque claiming that land was originally theirs.

Taking cognisance of the dispute, the Government directed Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Commissioner K. Jairaj to inquire into the matter. After Mr. Jairaj gave a report that the land belongs to the Government, the PWD decided to go ahead with the construction.

Endorsement

Meanwhile, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Monday endorsed this stance to presspersons. Briefing the media after holding a flood review meeting with senior officials at the Vidhana Soudha, he said the Government had given two months’ time to the other party to produce documents in support of its claim. But, they had not turned up even after three months. There is no question of compromising the Government land and stopping the work. However, he was prepared to meet a delegation representing the other party later in the day.

Health and Family Welfare Minister R. Ashok also made it clear that the land belonged to the Government and there was no question of handing it over to the Karnataka Wakf Board or any other organisation.

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