Daijiworld Media Network – Bantwal (SP)
Bantwal, Nov 11: Although the employees of the company executing the work of widening the highway between Mangalore and B C Road came equipped with labourers, tippers and backhoes on Tuesday November 10 to demolish the ‘Brahma Sannidhi’ at Brahmarakootlu near here, located by the side of the national highway 48, the villagers succeeded in persuading them to go back.
After this incident, the locals along with the people’s representatives of the region, met and decided after prolonged discussions, to stage a highway blockade at Brahmarakootlu on Wednesday November 11, to register their protest against the move to raze the shrine dedicated to Lord Brahma.
Originally, the National Highway Authority of India had drafted a plan to build a road after demolishing the shrine, which is located adjacent to the road, below the road level. Later, modifications were done to the plan, and a small piece of land was required for widening the road on the opposite side of the shrine. However, an executive engineer recently posted to oversee the works, has been insisting on executing the works as per original plan, the people said.
Reportedly, the district deputy commissioner had asked the officials to widen the highway in a way that does not endanger the existence of this shrine. The people want to register their protest and pressurize the concerned to ammend the plans and save ‘Brahmasannidhi’, which they claim, is one of the handful of places of worship dedicated to Lord Brahma in the country.