With regard to the issue of Municipality vacating traders from Kattinakere market area a year and half ago, court has issued notice to the deputy commissioner and assistant commissioners and other officers.

Nearly 152 traders who had been engaged in business at Kattinakere since many years, had moved the court after they were forced to vacate from the place.

Lawyer Shamsundar , who is also a corporator, said the High Court Special Bench has taken up the matter for hearing on November 19, and has directed the officers to file their response within two weeks.

Background

Kattinakere was identified as the important market in Hassan since decades with about 152 traders engaged in various businesses in the location. However, on May 1, 2010, officers had vacated shops.

This had forced the traders form ‘Old Vegetable Sellers’ Welfare Society’ and move the courts against the injustice dished out to them.

Non-existant order

There was no clarity on the ownership of the place and what would it be used for. While Municipality said the place belonged to Muzrai department and that they had sought the vacation; Muzrai said they had merely passed on the court order to civic body.

The authorities are battling it out at a different level , by playing passing the buck game.

Now, the Municipality commissioner Nagabhushan has said the space clearly belongs to Muzrai department, and that civic body had only executed the order.  But, according to officers, only the space where the temple stands, adjacent to Kattinakere, belongs to Muzrai department and not the area which houses shops. No documents are found regarding this.

However, records are available since 1932 regarding these shops being given on rent by municipality, after collecting due taxes from the traders.

The bone of contention has been the fact that people who took these shops on rent, have sub leased them to someone else. There are even fertiliser shops and bars too, which is banned in the vicinity, said an officer. In all, it looks like a long and hard ownership battle awaits Hassan Municipality in the future.