Amid stiff opposition from conservationists, the Karnataka government has decided to go ahead with setting up a Constitutional Club for legislators on the premises of the iconic Balabrooie guesthouse.
Chief Secretary P Ravi Kumar, in a file noting, has said that the Constitutional Club may be constructed without making any changes to the existing guesthouse and without chopping any trees on the premises.
Kumar also noted that it would be good to take the Cabinet’s approval for the project as there is public opposition and a PIL filed.
The idea is to set up a club similar to the one in New Delhi for parliament members.
The government’s move to use the guesthouse for a Constitutional Club for legislators dates back to 2009 when the then chief minister B S Yediyurappa had ordered that the property should be handed over to the Legislature Secretariat. Due to various reasons, this did not go through.
Recently, BJP MLC N Ravikumar approached Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, urging him to consider Balabrooie Guest House for the Constitutional Club, as there were no suitable alternatives. Bommai forwarded the petition to the chief secretary asking him to look into it.
Meanwhile, the DPAR has suggested to the CM to maintain status quo given the rich history associated with the Balabrooie guesthouse. Its visitors include Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. The guesthouse, at present, houses the Justice Kempanna Claims Commission (on the DJ Halli-KG Halli riots).
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Published 05 December 2021, 16:56 IST