A plan to build a dedicated protest zone in the twin cities, similar to Bengaluru’s Freedom Park, has been submitted to the Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) for nearly 10 years, but it is no closer to being accomplished in 2021 than it was in 2012.
The urgent need to prevent gatherings and protests at Kittur Chennamma (KC) Circle, in the heart of Hubballi, prompted the authorities to consider establishing a dedicated protest zone.
Demonstrations at KC Circle almost always cause traffic jams in Hubballi and Dharwad’s main thoroughfares, as the circle is a nodal point linking the twin cities to various national highways and the airport.
BA Padmanayan, the then-police commissioner of the twin cities, had sought the HDMC’s help in declaring KC Circle a protest-free zone in 2012.
The plan, however, never got off the ground due to the HDMC’s inability to find an appropriate location. CM Noormansur and Siddalingayya Hiremath, the succeeding HDMC commissioners, did find an ideal location for the purpose, as well as set aside sufficient funds.
The idea was moved to the backburner due to the authorities’ apathetic attitude. Raising one’s voice against the government’s conduct is a right that all of us are entitled to in a democratic setup, activist Dr. MC Sindhur said. He also added that The civic authorities must actively accept the police proposal and create an exclusive protest zone in the least inconvenient place for the public.
A legal stumbling block The delay in notifying the dedicated protest zone near MG Park, according to HDMC commissioner Suresh Itnal, is due to a legal problem. “That space will be declared an exclusive protest zone once we clear the legal hurdle,” Itnal said.
The outbreak of debate over the central government’s delay in issuing the daily news notification for the Kalasa-Banduri Nala project in Karnataka has highlighted the absence of a dedicated protest space in Hubballi, in addition to bringing attention to the unresolved inter-state dispute.
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