Karnataka

Five temples encroaching railway land to be cleared in Bengaluru

Written by : TNM

Five temples that have encroached on railway land between Malleshwaram and Yeshwantpur railway stations will soon be demolished by the railway authorities following summons issued by the Upa Lokayukta.A fortnight ago, Upa Lokayukta Justice S B Majage had sent summons asking the Bangalore Division of the Railways why it had not taken action against the encroachments.The temples have encroached 5156.16 sq ft costing about Rs. 5.15 crore on the 3.5 km Railway Parallel Road and runs parallel to the railway track from Malleswaram to Yeshwantpur. While the five temples dedicated to Shanimahatma, Anjaneya (Hanuman) and Kali would be cleared, another temple dedicated to Karumariamman, which is also on railway property will remain, as its trustees have obtained a stay order from the High Court.Estate Officer and Additional Divisional Railway Manager Sunanda Arul met Upa Lokayukta Justice S B Majage on May 7 regarding the summons she had received, according to a report in The New Indian Express.“We had given eviction notices to the five temples long ago. We had even given them six months to rebuild the temples elsewhere,” Sunanda was quoted by the paper.The Railways has also sent a letter to the BBMP Commissioner asking them to remove the water and electricity connections to the unauthorized buildings so that they could clear those structures.The Upa Lokayukta took up the matter after a citizen complained to them that the railways were not taking any measures to reclaim the encroached land. Though the priests have conceded that the land belongs to the railway authorities, they are yet to vacate the land.A Railways official alleged that twice earlier, when the authorities attempted to take possession of the encroached land, people gathered in large numbers and stalled the eviction. 

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