Shops told to move out of Hampi site

The High Court on Monday directed owners of shops and constructions around the world heritage site of Hampi to shift to the site allotted by the State government.

Hearing a petition by Kottereshwara Kalyana Kendra, the division bench comprising Chief Justice Vikramajit Sen and Justice B V Nagarathna directed the owners of shops and constructions to vacate the premises and move to the new place within a month.

Some farmers from Anegundi near Hampi objected to the eviction order, stating they had constructed huts on their private agriculture land and had been offering hospitality in an eco-friendly manner and thus cannot be evicted.

They pointed out that the Hampi World Heritage Site Development Planning Authority had issued a showcause notice to them. They stated that their land was at a distance of 1.5 km from the world heritage site and hence, there is no violation on their part.

They are operating with a permission from the local panchayat, they said. The State said the property is indeed private, but is situated at a distance of 387 meter from Hampi. It submitted that already 314 sites had been allotted to those who had vacated the place as per the directions of the High Court. The division bench directed the farmers to vacate the place and approach the court if there are any problems.