Karnataka - Belgaum   

Roadworks widen rift in BJP

— PHOTO: VIJAYKUMAR PATIL

CALM AFTER STORM:Congress MLA Feroz Sait (centre) leads two BJP MLAs Abhay Kumar Patil (left) and Sanjay B. Patil (right) as a mark of unity in Belgaum on Thursday soon after their showdown.

Belgaum: The two MLAs belonging to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday virtually clashed in the presence of Deputy Commissioner J. Ravishankar in the latter's chambers, thanks to growing differences among young leaders from the city.

However, the immediate reason for the differences and argument between the two was the road-widening work taken up with the Rs. 100-crore special grant provided to the Belgaum City Corporation by the State Government.

The corporation had taken up work in the form of packages for improvement of civic facilities, including road-widening and construction of drains in different wards.

A committee headed by Basavaraj Bommai, district in-charge Minister, decided packages in consultation with other members of the committee, including the three MLAs Feroz Sait (Belgaum North), Abhay Kumar Patil (Belgaum South) and Sanjay B. Patil (Belgaum Rural).

Under one of the packages, the corporation had started removing structures such as compound walls, petty shops on RPD Cross-Patvardhan Road, which had been proposed for widening up to 80 feet.

There are major and reputed educational institutions, including a school run by Gomatesh Vidhyapeeth headed by Mr. Sanjay on this road.

When contacted, Mr. Sanjay said he was only protesting against before starting demolition of structures on the RPD Cross-Patvardhan Colony Road without informing him. The corporation wanted to demolish a portion of the school building.

Already, three floors for the school had been built and it would cause major loss to the Vidyapeeth even if a portion of it was to be demolished.

Drama

But the discussion, it is learnt, took undesirable turn between Mr. Sanjay and Mr. Abhay to the extent of both speaking in “challenging” tone. However, on being called by Dr. Ravishankar, Mr. Sait intervened and pacified the two warring MLAs, as Mr. Sanjay agreed to cooperate with road-widening works. Subsequently, all the three MLAs, with a view to pose “unity”, walked together from RPD Cross to Mr. Sanjay's school building, even as cameramen of television channels and scribes were waiting for some “drama”.

Mr. Abhay said all the differences had been resolved.

Corporation commissioner S.G. Patil, who was apparently playing safe not willing to comment on the happenings, evaded questions on long-pending demand for construction of bridges across first, second and third railway gates, flyovers, subways and so on.

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