The Tourism Department’s move to allow private companies to adopt archaeological structures in Belur and Halebid to provide basic amenities for visitors has drawn strong criticism from local bodies.
Coffee Day Enterprise Ltd. (CDEL) had signed a memorandum of understanding with the department to adopt the places, at the Global Investors’ Meeting held in Bengaluru. The company had proposed to provide amenities in Belur and Halebid by taking the department’s land near the historical Channakeshava temple in Belur and Hoysaleshwara temple in Halebid on lease for 30 years.
Move opposed
Both the Belur Town Municipal Council and Halebid Gram Panchayat have opposed this move.
U. Jitendranath, Assistant Director of Tourism in Hassan, told The Hindu on Friday that the idea was to provide basic facilities like drinking water, restrooms, and parking yard near the temples. “The company will not set up its coffee shops. It is purely to facilitate the visitors,” he said. The company had submitted its detailed project report and the Archaeological Survey of India has to approve it. The process is still in the initial stage, he added.
However, T.A. Srinidhi, president of Belur TMC, argued that this activity by the CDEL was a move to gain publicity of developing a heritage site. “The Tourism Department has already prepared a proposal of Rs.1.68 crore for basic amenities at Channakeshava temple. If the government can do this, where is the need for a private body to come in?” he questioned, adding that the local body had been sidelined in the whole affair. “We are ready to provide basic amenities at the temple, if given a chance,” Mr. Srinidhi added.
The CDEL has already listed ‘Adoption of Heritage Sites’ as one of its corporate social responsibility activities on its website.
The Tourism Department has planned to hand over a portion of land in its control in Halebid to the private company for parking and other facilities. As of now, vehicles are parked on the roadside and parking fee is fixed by the Halebid GP.
Now, the gram panchayat is also worried about losing income if the private company takes over parking. Halebid GP vice-president Harish said, “All these years, we were charging a fee for vehicles parked near the temple. We were getting around Rs. 10 lakh per year in the auction for the parking yard.” He said the issue would be taken up in the next GP meeting.
