An encroachment clearance drive, launched at Virupapur gadda on the Tungabhadra in the Hampi World Heritage area on Sunday, has been temporarily suspended after residents said that they would vacate the place on their own.
As many as 14 illegal extended structures, in the backyards of the Ashraya houses, which were being illegally used as guesthouses, resorts and restaurants, were razed by the authorities on Sunday.
“When the residents in Virupapur gadda promised to vacate the place on their own and requested us to grant them one week, we agreed to suspend the drive on the condition that it will be re-launched after a week,” M. Pavan Kumar, Assistant Commissioner (Hosapete), who is also the Commissioner of Hampi World Heritage Area Management Authority, told The Hindu .
According to official sources, even the Ashraya houses that have come up on the reserve forest land were illegal. The sites for the houses were granted by the local panchayat in 2010. Following eviction notices issued by the authorities, some of them had approached the Dharwad Bench of the Karnataka High Court, where the petition was dismissed stating that the panchayat had no right to grant sites.
The sources said that over 81 structures had come up on the land, of which 55 were houses with 14 extensions for commercial purposes. The remaining structures were resorts or guesthouses and restaurants. Around 15 owners of such illegal resorts had approached the Supreme Court and obtained a stay. Similarly, owners of eight resorts or guest houses had obtained a stay.
Five of them had approached the Dharwad Bench of the Karnataka High Court and three had approached the Bench in Bengaluru. Efforts were on by the authority to get these stays vacated during the next hearing.
The authorities supervising the demolition drive found that liquor was being sold in a few resorts illegally and asked the Excise officials and the police to register a case.
