First published in 2017
The spree of shops constructed on the Sai Mandir road near First gate will soon be converted into an Archeological site and it is very likely that it would be made into an monument, a monument which shows the World how the tax payers money is put to utter waste and the promises made are never fulfilled.
On the eve of the Vishwa Kannada Sammelana held in March 2011 in the city, many shops were demolished in many areas like Kelkar Bag & Sai Mandir area. The City Corporation then built 48 shops on the design made by Third space Studio Belagavi.
Praveen Bavdekar of Thirdspace Studio had told this blog that, ” The repetitive landscape of neighborhood shops is transformed into an urban sculpture by emphasizing the walls in between and creating a meta form responsive to the context. The walls in-between shops are made explicit, by projecting beyond the shops thus creating a blurred space between shop and street. ”
This structure has been kept unutilized since it was constructed in 2012-13. It is 2017 now and even now the same is not utilized for reasons unknown. Out of the 48 shops 35 have already been allotted but they haven’t been giving the papers of the same, so the persons can’t come in start their business. It was decided that the shops would be let out on an advance of Rs.50,000 and no rent would have to be paid for the next 5 years.
A committee which included the DC, Commissioner of corporation and others sent a list for approval to the govt but the same hasn’t been approved yet and the said shops are lying unutilized.
Worst part being the contractor was not paid and he had asked for those shops to be auctioned, but the officers somehow managed to save their skin and now what our sources have told is that all the shops would now be auctioned online. Then what about the 35 persons who had lost their source of livelihood during the Vishwa Kannada Sammelana where their business was removed and these shops were built only to rehabilitate them. But now that they plan to auction it which is also very unclear, the main motto of constructing these shops has been lost.
And after 7 years those people who are waiting to be rehabilitated can only say whose shops are those anyways?
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