'Govt may purchase Nijalingappa's house'

The State government on Friday said it will consider buying the house of ex-chief minister S Nijalingappa from his family.

Minister for Kannada and Culture, Umashree, said the government was in a dilemma over how to convert the leader’s house into a memorial as his family was asking a price of for Rs two crore for the property.

BJP MLC Shivayogi Swami questioned the government on not taking further steps despite making an allocation of Rs one crore for renovation of the house.
Umashree said the family was not ready to part with the property, located in Chitradurga, for free.

When suggested that previously the State government had bought the house of litterateur R K Narayan under similar circumstances, Umashree said it was a possibility the government was ready to explore. “The matter falls within the purview of two departments, including the Urban Development Department (UDD), that needs to buy the house and surrender it to us. We will discuss the possibility with the UDD and the chief minister,” Umashree added.