Temple Trust on a demolition spree

Puttur: In a frenzy to ‘develop’ the town’s main thoroughfare, the Mahalingeshwara temple trust in Puttur town, allegedly under the support of the local MLA, has gone on a demolition spree in the past two months. It has demolished ten houses that had been rented out to its workers and is now trying to demolish the Town Women’s police station and a few old iconic shops on the main road of the town.

The demolition squad of Puttur led by political bosses and temple endowment officers, have razed several buildings and houses that have robbed Puttur town of its traditional look; the squad has also closed over 12 open wells that had perennial water and tens of coconut trees.

But in the most alarming case, the town planners and bureaucrats have conveniently given go by the safety of a heritage building that houses the Puttur courts. A significant portion of the earth has been excavated less than 6 feet from the base of the heritage building, compromising its safety.

“The court is perhaps the last heritage in Puttur, and its antiquity dates back to the early mid-20th century, and nobody has taken care of the building. As a pressure group of Puttur, we believe that the court building is in great danger and might face irreparable damage during the impending rainy season of 2025 if not a retaining wall is built to arrest soil erosion on the excavated part. We have already sounded an alarm with the local MLA, Municipality and even Zilla Panchayat, but none of them have done anything to restore the safety of the court building” said an elderly heritage activist of the town. However they have showered their attention for building a swanky office just adjacent to the court building for the Block Education Office they complained

Few elders of the town have raised the issue with the government and a complaint has been filed with the Lokayukta against the perpetrators of the demolition spree (EOm)