Mysuru: Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) demolished several houses at Gayathripuram on Tuesday, claiming that the structures had been illegally constructed on land classified as a public park. The demolition triggered protests from BJP leaders and residents, who alleged that the civic body had carried out the action without following the required procedure.

MCC officials arrived at the site with earthmovers and trucks and began removing the structures. The affected property owners disputed the Corporation’s claim over the land and said they possessed documents, including e-khatas issued by the MCC, supporting their possession of the properties.

MCC removes houses from park land

The demolition took place at Gayathripuram, where portions of land along the Gayathripuram-Kyathamaranahalli Road, near the Hutta Temple, also known as Bhakta Kumbara Mutt, have been the subject of an encroachment dispute.

According to MCC, the houses were constructed illegally on land classified as a park. The Corporation therefore launched the demolition drive to clear what it described as encroachments from the public space.

MCC personnel used earthmoving machinery and trucks to carry out the operation.

The action follows a report published by Star of Mysore on September 18 highlighting the presence of houses inside the Gayathripuram park. The report had raised questions over how portions of the park had allegedly been occupied over the years.

Property owners challenge demolition

The demolition was opposed by property owners and their representatives, who questioned the MCC’s action.

Advocate Prajwal, representing the property owners, said his clients had documents including e-khatas issued by the MCC. He claimed that some of the residents had been living on the properties for more than 40 years.

The advocate also said the dispute was pending before a court and questioned the decision to demolish the structures while the matter was under consideration.

According to the claims reported by Star of Mysore, the property owners maintain that the MCC has not produced documents establishing its ownership of the disputed land.

These claims are disputed by the civic body’s position that the structures were illegally constructed on land classified as a park. The ownership and legality issues remain subject to the relevant legal proceedings.

Residents allege lack of demolition notice

The property owners also alleged that the MCC had not followed the procedure required before carrying out the demolition.

Prajwal said MCC officials had orally informed the property owners on September 22 that alleged encroachments would be cleared. However, he claimed that no formal notice was served before the structures were demolished.

He referred to Section 321 of the Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act, 1976, and argued that the MCC Commissioner was required to issue notice before undertaking demolition action.

The allegation regarding the absence of notice is the position of the property owners and their legal representative. The Star of Mysore report did not provide a detailed response from MCC officials addressing each of these procedural claims.

BJP leaders protest at the spot

BJP leaders reached the location after learning about the demolition and urged MCC officials to stop the operation.

The protesters alleged that the demolition was illegal and maintained that the property owners were in lawful possession of the sites.

Police personnel deployed at the location took the protesters into preventive custody and shifted them to the City Armed Reserve (CAR) Grounds.

They were later released.

Following their release, the BJP workers returned to the site and staged a dharna. They raised slogans against the State Government, MCC and City Police, besides naming Narasimharaja MLA Tanveer Sait and Karnataka Exhibition Authority Chairman Ayub Khan.

The protesters questioned the response of local elected representatives to the property dispute. Their allegations remain claims made during the protest.

Protesters allege police misbehaviour

During the protest, Giridhar, one of the participants, alleged that police personnel, including Nazarbad PSI Manjunath, had manhandled protesters and used abusive language.

The protesters demanded that Mysuru City Police Commissioner Seema Latkar and DCP (Law and Order) Dr Harsha Priyamvada visit the site.

These allegations were made by protesters during the demonstration. The report did not establish the allegations independently.

The police presence at the site was part of the arrangements made during the demolition and subsequent protest.

Earlier report highlighted alleged encroachments

The latest demolition follows concerns raised earlier about alleged encroachments in the Gayathripuram park.

Star of Mysore’s September 18 report titled ‘Houses inside public park!’ had highlighted portions of the park along the Gayathripuram-Kyathamaranahalli Road.

The area is near the Hutta Temple, also known as Bhakta Kumbara Mutt. According to the report, portions of the park had allegedly been encroached upon over a period of time.

The dispute has now moved from questions over the alleged encroachments to a direct confrontation between the civic body and property owners following the demolition.

Road-widening plans also linked to area

The location has also been connected with proposed road-widening work.

Narasimharaja MLA Tanveer Sait had reportedly performed a ground-breaking ceremony for road-widening works at the site around six months ago.

The current dispute therefore involves multiple issues, including the classification of the land as a park, claims of property ownership, alleged encroachments and the proposed development of the surrounding road.

The demolition has brought renewed attention to the status of the disputed properties and the documents held by the residents.

Legal dispute may determine next course

With the property owners maintaining that the matter is pending before the court, the legal status of the land and the structures is likely to remain a key issue.

The residents’ representative has questioned whether the MCC had the authority to demolish the houses without serving formal notice. At the same time, the civic body’s stated position is that the structures were illegal constructions on park land.

The competing claims will need to be examined through the appropriate legal and administrative processes.

The demolition and protests have also highlighted the challenges faced by civic authorities when clearing alleged encroachments where residents dispute the ownership or classification of the land.

Conclusion

The MCC has demolished houses at Gayathripuram, stating that the structures stood on land classified as a public park and had been illegally constructed. Property owners, however, have challenged the action, claiming long-term possession and documents including MCC-issued e-khatas.

The demolition led to protests, with BJP workers being taken into preventive custody before returning to stage a dharna. The property owners have also alleged that the required demolition notice was not issued. With the ownership and procedural questions disputed, the matter remains subject to legal and administrative scrutiny.