Kin of MLA builds a Rs 90-cr resort at Hampi heritage site

Bangalore Mirror

Bangalore, 24 May 2011: Forget having a sense of history, our rulers lack even taste. A close relative of the ruling party MLA from Vijayanagar, Anand Singh, has constructed a huge guest house in the core zone of the world heritage site at Hampi. The land in the core zone, comprising seven kilometres, is owned by the Hampi World Heritage Area Management Zone (HWHAMZ) and all building activities are forbidden here. Worse, the guest house resembles a Rajput fort, an incongruity apparently lost on the MLA of a constituency named after a famous empire with a proud architectural heritage of its own.

 

The guest house, inaugurated a month ago amidst much controversy, and reportedly costing Rs 90 crore, has come up at Kamlapur on one and a half acres of land and there are signs of a nexus between the MLA’s family and HWHAMZ officials. Documents submitted by local citizens to the Lokayukta reveal that the MLA’s brother-in-law Dharmendra Singh sought and obtained permission for constructing a building on 50 cents of land. This itself is illegal. Later, Dharmendra Singh encroached on one acre of land and built the guest house.

 

The blatant violation of the law by the MLA’s family has drawn heavy flak from local residents. “It is a major violation,” said Sreenivas, a Kamlapur resident. “How can a MLA’s relative construct a huge guest house when authorities don’t give clearance to long-time residents here to build even a small house?”

 

 

In their complaint, local residents have sought action from the Lokayukta against the MLA’s kin. “Besides remains of ancient forts, records show that the site where the construction has come up also had an historic inscription of the Vijaynagar empire. Leave aside encroachment we don’t understand how the land was cleared for construction as it was in the core area,” said Dr D V Paramashivamurthy, associate professor, department of epigraphy, Kannada University, Hampi. 

 

HWHAMZ officials claimed they were unaware of any violation. “I am not aware of the encroachment,” said HWHAMZ commisssioner Karigowda. “If they have encroached, action will be taken after an inspection.”

 

 

Hampi was declared a World Heritage Site in 1986. The seven kiolmetres surrounding the site is designated as core zone, while the next three kilometers are a ‘buffer’. 

 

MLA Anand Singh denied he had done anything illegal. “I have done nothing wrong. I haven’t encroached on any land. The land has been legally obtained and construction was permitted. I am confident that I will come out clean in the Lokayukta inquiry,” he said.

 

Jaisalmer in hampi?

 

The guest house built by MLA Anand Singh’s kin is named Rajput Fort. It is supposed to evoke the grandeur of the erstwhile Rajput kingdoms in north India. Over 60 sculptors and artists from Tamil Nadu worked continuously for six months on the three-storey structure with a grand entrance and walls resembling those of traditional Rajput forts. 

 

The entrance is over 20 feet in height and the door is made entirely of teak. The entrance has two lion statues made of metal, each said to cost over Rs 3 lakh. Dressed marble stones, pure white, have been used in the entrance and in the compound, with each stone costing over Rs 2000. Rajput Fort has special lighting that is on par with the lighting at the world heritage site.