Memorial to Bendre in Dharwad in a shambles

Memorial to Bendre in Dharwad in a shambles
The Hindu

DHARWAD: The prestigious Bendre Bhavan, a national memorial erected in memory of the doyen of Kannada poetry and Jnanpith Award winner Da. Ra. Bendre, has been turned into a godown for dumping books that the Department of Kannada and Culture has not been able to sell.

The bhavan, a magnificent edifice constructed at a cost of Rs. 70 lakhs on land donated by the poet's family, is adjacent to the poet's family home in the Sadhanakeri area here.

It overlooks a lake and was conceived as an important centre of learning for students of Kannada literature.

However, the indifference of the Department of Kannada and Culture and the failure of the Government to provide for recurring expenditure have resulted in the structure remaining uncared for.

The Department of Kannada and Culture was using the premises to house the office of the Assistant Director of Kannada and Culture despite a resolution passed by the National Memorial Trust Committee barring the use of the building to house government offices.

Emotional

The former Minister of Kannada and Culture H. Vishwanath, during whose term the project was conceived, became emotional when he paid a visit to the bhavan on Tuesday evening. He could not disguise his anguish over the bureaucratic callousness in the maintenance of the building.

What shocked Mr. Vishwanath initially was the parking of department vehicles in the portico, blocking the magnificent view that the edifice presents to visitors.

"The sight of a government vehicle outside such a place is unimaginable," Mr. Vishwanath said.

More surprises were in store for the former Minister as he went round the complex. The meeting hall at the ground floor looked unkempt with plastic chairs used for functions stacked on one side.

The first floor, which was supposed to have a library of the works of the poet, had been converted into the office of the Assistant Director of the Department of Kannada and Culture and for dumping books of the department.

The showcase held very few books on Bendre and was stacked with publications of the department and other academies marketed by the department.

No new additions

The exhibition hall on the second floor was in a pathetic state. Nothing new has been added after the trust committee's collection of rare photographs of Bendre was put up in the early days of the bhavan.

One of the rooms, which should have exhibited books on scientific works by Bendre, remains empty while a room that should have been a replica of the poet's study is now covered with cobwebs.

The failure of the Government to maintain the building prompted the Bendre family to refuse to part with over 17,000 volumes of the poet's personal collection of books.

Instead, the family chose to house them in the Bendre Research Institute which has been set up in Hubli.

Grants returned

The trust committee has not been able to use the amount of Rs. 5 lakhs given by the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development when S.R. Bommai was the Union Minister.

The trust also had to return the donation given by Krishak Bharati Cooperative Ltd. as it failed to comply with certain stipulations.

Mr. Vishwanath was informed by officials who were present that the Government has not been giving any grants for the upkeep of the memorial and that the fellowship and award given in the name of poet are being given using funds generated internally and contributed by members of the poet's family and admirers.

Speaking with this correspondent Mr. Vishwanath said: "This is a shocking state of affairs. I shall certainly take it up with the Chief Minister."

Demolition drive: third phase begins in Hubli-Dharwad

Demolition drive: third phase begins in Hubli-Dharwad
The Hindu


SELF-HELP IS THE BEST HELP: Shopkeepers helping a person to climb on to the roof of a shop to clear encroachment before the arrival of earthmovers of the Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation in Hubli on Wednesday.


HUBLI: The third phase of the demolition drive against encroachments on roads in Hubli began on Wednesday. The three-day drive will tackle over 40 roads.

What was remarkable was the absence of the "stunning effect" which the earlier phases of the drive had given to the people.

The people on either side of the identified roads had been told before hand about the extent of encroachment and had been requested to clear it on their own.

As a result, even as the earthmovers in 10 batches trundled along the roads, building owners removed the encroachments themselves. Others had emptied the premises marked for demolition.

The corporation was acting on a carefully worked out plan and the squads and the police had been given a detailed map of the area to be tackled.

HESCOM, BSNL help


Personnel of the Hubli Electricity Supply Company and the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited were on hand to disconnect power and telephone lines in the area slated for demolition.

There was an appreciable increase in the number of policemen on duty. This was attributed to reports that some Congress corporators might try to create trouble. But these reports turned out to be baseless.

After encroachments were removed on the Pune-Bangalore National Highway, Narayan Nadumani, Commissioner of Police, Hubli-Dharwad, said the police had decided to introduce two-way traffic on a stretch of the road.

P. Manivannan, corporation Commissioner, said discrepancies, if any, in documents pertaining to property could be settled later and that the corporation would make good any loss to house owners.

In Gardenpet, a few miscreants tried to create disturbance by throwing stones at the police. The mob was immediately dispersed and the situation was brought under control.