The Belagavi City Corporation (BCC) council meeting on Thursday turned contentious over a land acquisition dispute. The ruling faction defended the acquisition for road construction in Shahapur, while the opposition strongly opposed it. The controversy stems from the construction of bypass roads on land without the owner’s consent. After the landowner approached the high court and secured a stay, the court ordered BCC to either pay Rs 20 crore in compensation or return the land. Though the corporation had initially agreed to pay, the payment was not made within the stipulated time, forcing officials to return the land to avoid contempt of court.
During Thursday’s meeting, MLA Abhay Patil argued that the bypass road was built for public benefit, justifying the corporation’s decision. In contrast, MLA Asif Raju Sait criticized the move as illegal, stating that proper land acquisition should have been done beforehand. Patil responded that many public works had been carried out without land acquisition in the past, defending the decision as a necessary one for public utility.
Sait suggested that landowner Balasaheb Patil could be persuaded to resolve the issue, but consensus among leaders would be needed. The meeting also agreed to bestow civic honors on KLE chairman Dr. Prabhakar Kore for his 75th birthday. Additionally, discussions were held on recovering Rs 2 crore in dues from government offices and Rs 17 crore from KPTCL. Topics like roads, drainage, and water supply were also addressed, with corporators Hanumant Kongali, Ravi Dhotre, Girish Dungadi, Rajashekhar Doni, and Muzamil participating. A tribute was paid to Ratan Tata at the meeting’s start.
