BAGALKOT Aihole, a place of historical interest in North Karnataka and about 450km from Bengaluru, is in the eye of a storm over a government proposal to shift 124 houses which are within a 100-metre radius of scores of Buddhist, Hindu and Jain monuments to a new location on Amingarh Road 1km away, reports
Sangamesh Menasinakai
.
To develop Aihole on the lines of the Akshardham temple complex in Gujarat and facilitate tourist movement to 120 nearby temples, the administration intends to relocate these houses.
But villagers are demanding that the entire village, instead, be relocated to ensure a more holistic development and minimise inconvenience to those residing there.
The town with a population of 5,000 has two schools and a hospital. The nub of the issue is those living very close to the protected monuments have to obtain permission before effecting any structural change to their house - be it hammering a nail in the wall, and adding or demolishing a part of the house.
The plan is not final yet. The location of the graveyard which is outside the town will not be affected.
According to Bagalkot district administration, a government survey conducted in 2020-21 proposed moving of the more-than 1,000 properties, including 628 residential houses, at a cost of Rs 365 crore. However, tourism minister
HK Patil
, who visited the monuments recently, suggested moving only 124 specific houses that were identified by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), thereby triggering a heated debate between the villagers and the administration.
Ramanna Kuri
, president, Aihole Grama Sthalantara
Horata Samiti
, said villagers were in a pathetic condition and struggling to lead a normal in view of the restrictions imposed by ASI.
"Since the village includes 120 ancient monuments protected by ASI, we are not even allowed to drive a nail into the wall. It has been difficult to dig the floors for any work. Hence, the government should relocate the entire village." he demanded.
Kotresh Sarangamath, Parashuram Godi,
Parasappa Kuri
and other villagers said the cost for such relocation will only go up if it is delayed. "We are not against development, but given that almost all the houses are within a 100-metre radius from one monument or the other, a complete relocation is always better," they reasoned.
Residents are wary of the fact that villagers of the 60-odd houses that were relocated from the Durga temple site in the 1970s are yet to be compensated by the government.
Kuri also pointed out that Aihole could not earn a Unesco World Heritage tag since the monuments there are surrounded by private properties. "If the entire village is moved, it will certainly help Aihole to be recognised as a Unesco site, quite on the lines of Hampi," he added.
Responding to the villagers' contention,
Bagalkot MLA HY Meti
said: "It's not fair to move only a few houses. We have demanded moving of the entire village. The request is still pending before the government."
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