Tension as residents stop officials from demolishing temple in Kalaburagi – The Hindu

There was tension for more than an hour in localities on Old Jewargi Road in Kalaburagi city on Friday after residents, mostly women, successfully foiled an attempt by the city corporation officials to remove a temple constructed in the land reserved for a park.

The residents, who came to know about the decision of the Kalaburagi Mahanagara Palike to demolish the temple, were camping in the temple from Thursday night.

When the city corporation officials brought heavy earthmovers to the spot in the early hours of Friday to demolish the structure, the women resisted the move and did not allow the corporation officials or the machinery anywhere near the temple constructed inside the park.

Senior officials of the city corporation, who headed the team of the city corporation personnel, were forced to make a hasty retreat after the women told that they would not allow the demolition of the temple at any cost.

Notices issued

When contacted, corporation commissioner P. Sunil Kumar said that two weeks ago notices were issued to the residents who had constructed the temple to shift the temple to any other place as the place where it is constructed now had been reserved for a park.

As the residents failed to respond to the notice, he said, the corporation decided to demolish the structure constructed on the land reserved for the park.

“We could not complete the task due to the absence of the required number of police force, particularly women police. I have discussed this issue with Deputy Commissioner Ujwalkumar Ghosh and we would remove the structure in the park in a couple of days with the help of adequate number of police force,” he said.