BALLARI: Fourteenth century monuments and the surrounding natural landscape and gigantic boulders are considered an integral part of Hampi, the world heritage site, by UNESCO, but now face the threat of obliteration during brisk construction work undertaken by the public works department. The picturesque landscape on the banks of river Tungabhadra near Bukkasagar village is at risk with the public works department knocking off rocky terrain in Bukkasagar to construct a road from the bridge being built across the river from Bukkasagar to Kadebagilu in Gangavati taluk in Koppal district.
PWD contractors, deploying heavy earth moving machinery, are demolishing natural landscape spread over a two km stretch to make way from the bridge to Hosapete-Gangavati state-highway in an apparent violation of guidelines of UNESCO. When contacted, Mr Prakash C Nayakanda, superintending archeologist, Archeological Survey of India (ASI), Hampi circle, told Deccan Chronicle that Bukkasagar to Kadebagilu area falls in the buffer zone of the world heritage site.
On bulldozing natural landscape, Mr Nayakanda said, “It comes under the purview of Hampi World Heritage Area Management Authority (HWHAMA) and authority is answerable since there is no ASI declared monument in that area”. However, the ASI is supposed to act as a nodal agency to ensure that state authorities comply with the guidelines of UNESCO at the world heritage site.
Meanwhile, work on re-establishing the link between Hampi and Anegundi is going full swing across the Tungabhadra from Bukkasagar to Kadebagilu. Of the total 14 piers, work has been completed in five piers, while work is underway in six and yet to commence in three piers. The bridge is expected to be ready by March 2016. PWD authorities said the estimated cost of the 487.5-metre long bridge was Rs 32 crore.
The bridge would reduce the distance between Hospet and Gangavathi by 15 to 20 km. Besides providing easy access for tourists to reach Anegundi from Hampi, the bridge would ease the movement of predominant agricultural crops, rice and banana, in and around Gangavathi.
So far, tourists had to be ferried either in coracles though considered a very risky mode of transport, or had to take a circuitous route to reach Anegundi. Keeping in view the hurdles in crossing the Tungabhadra, the Veerappa Moily government had decided to construct a modern cable-stayed bridge across river at Talavaraghatta near Vijaya Vittala temple.
The project had reached 80 per cent completion when the UNESCO objected to its construction in 1999 and placed Hampi in the list of ‘World Heritage Sites in Danger’. The UNESCO feared that the modern bridge would affect the skyline of the natural landscape and also turn out to be an eyesore. It also apprehended that the bridge would pave the way for movement of heavy vehicular traffic that would threaten ancient monuments.
