Use the Rs37 crore spent on festivals to save Hampi: Court

Karnataka high court on Tuesday gave one week  to the state government and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to inform it on cost sharing for removal of encroachments and rehabilitation of the encroachers at the Hampi heritage site. 

The division bench headed by the chief justice JS Khehar pulled up the state government, observing that nothing much has been done for the removal of the encroachments at the heritage site, hearing the many petitions seeking its removal.

The state government counsel informed the court that they would need funds assistance from ASI in rehabilitating the encroachers.

The bench then questioned the state government on how much money was being spent on Hampi Utsav? The government counsel had earlier stated that they spend Rs37 crore every year on it.

“You can spend crores of money for all that but you have done nothing for the removal of the encroachments. We will stop all festivals for which you spend crores and then you will be able to remove the encroachments,” the bench observed.

“There cannot be a better heritage site than Hampi. By God’s grace, it is in our state. In the past six months you have done nothing to tackle the encroachment menace. Use the 37 crores [spent on festivals] for removing the encroachments. If you remove the encroachments, you will restore to the state one of its best heritage centres,” the bench said.

The state government counsel, on the instructions from Kari Gowda, assistant commissioner, Hospet subdivision, submitted before the court that the total cost of removing encroachments as determined by the state government is in the range of Rs18.5 crores, which includes cost of rehabilitation.

The encroachers have to be rehabilitated on the 19.5 acres of land reserved for the purpose. As soon as the amount for the rehabilitation is obtained, the process of the removal of the encroachments will start, the government counsel submitted.

The division bench then observed that the cost should be shared by the state government and the ASI. For this purpose, the state government and the central government sought a week’s time to seek instructions.

The division bench then directed that they should obtain instructions on two aspects. First, how much money the state government and the ASI share for the removal of encroachments and rehabilitation of the encroachers. Second, how much time they will take after getting money to complete the same.
The bench adjourned the case to September 5.